Effect of Functional Electr ical Stimulation on Hand Function inHemiplegic Cerebral Palsy

Background and Purpose: In individuals with hemiplegic cerebral palsy both unimanual movements of the paretic hand and bimanual are affected. Independent control of the hands can be difficult as voluntary movements of one hand are frequently associated with unintended movements of the contra lateral hand. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the upper limb has been used in patients of a variety of neurological impairments and has the advantage of being non-invasive and painless The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of functional electrical stimulation on hand functions in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Methods: Subjects: twenty children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, their ages ranges from three to seven years, all children had no visual, cognitive or behavioral impairments, the children had not undergone previous surgery on their impaired upper limb. All children were divided randomly into two groups of equal number, treatment and control group. The treatment group was treated by functional electrical stimulation in addition to the usual physiotherapy, while the control the control group was treated by the usual physiotherapy program only. The treatment program for both groups extends up to twelve weeks. All children of both groups were assessed before and after treatment, their assessment includes hand function through Jebson test and active wrist extension. Results: Significant improvement in hand function was recorded in the treatment group manifested by significant decrease in time taken to complete the components of the hand function test (p 0.05) and significant increase in active range of motion in wrist joint (p 0.05). Discussion and conclusion: The present study revealed that functional electrical stimulation is effective in improvement of hand function in hemiplegic cerebral palsy which may partially result from the increased movement and strength around the wrist joint of the impaired limb.