The Effects of Electrical Stimulation Gait Training in the Child with Cerebral Palsy

Author

Lauer, R. ; Shewokis, P. ; Stackhouse, C. ; Pierce, S. ; Smith, B. ; McCarthy, J.

Author_Institution

Shriners Hosp. for Children, Philadelphia, PA

fYear

2005

fDate

16-19 March 2005

Firstpage

538

Lastpage

539

Abstract

The effects of electrical stimulation (ES) applied to the ankle musculature while walking on lower limb coordination and on muscle activation were assessed in a child with cerebral palsy (CP) when walking without ES. Three-dimensional lower extremity joint motion and surface electromyographic (EMG) data from the lower extremity muscles were collected before and after a 20-week gait training protocol with surface stimulation of the left dorsiflexors. Results of this preliminary investigation demonstrated carry-over effects of ES on joint coordination and muscle activity, with patterns approaching those of children with typical development (TD). Further, the use of ES appeared to affect the antagonistic muscle to which the ES was applied, which may have important implications for future training programs with ES

Keywords

electromyography; gait analysis; neuromuscular stimulation; paediatrics; 20 week; ankle musculature; antagonistic muscle; cerebral palsy; child; dorsiflexors; electrical stimulation; gait training; lower limb coordination; muscle activation; surface electromyography; three-dimensional lower extremity joint motion; walking; Bandwidth; Birth disorders; Electrical stimulation; Electrodes; Electromyography; Extremities; Knee; Legged locomotion; Motion analysis; Muscles;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Neural Engineering, 2005. Conference Proceedings. 2nd International IEEE EMBS Conference on

Conference_Location

Arlington, VA

Print_ISBN

0-7803-8710-4

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/CNE.2005.1419678

Filename

1419678