Enhanced rehabilitation of gait after stroke: a case report of a therapeutic approach using multichannel functional electrical stimulation

The beneficial effects of using multichannel functional electrical stimulation (MFES) for gait rehabilitation in nonambulatory hemiplegic patients have already been shown. The methodology of application and the results presented were pooled for the whole group of participants, which blurs the exact picture of each particular subject and many vital details are not presented. The purpose of this article is to focus on a single subject from the study and to present all the details of the treatment. The presented subject participated six weeks in the study, first three weeks in MFES therapy and second three weeks in conventional therapy. The effects of each therapy were evaluated by the following measures: temporal distance parameters of gait, ground reaction forces, goniograms in hip, knee and ankle, and assessment of the physical status of the patient according to the Fugl-Meyer evaluation scale. An analysis of the measured parameters showed improved performance of the patient during MFES therapy and stagnation or even slight recession during conventional therapy, The patient achieved independent gait during the three weeks of MFES therapy. At 30 months after the beginning of therapy, the patient was still able to ambulate independently without any significant changes in his gait pattern. The accomplishment was mainly attributed to the avoidance of pathological gait pattern development by using MFES assisted gait training and to the high motivation of the patient to walk and exercise during therapy as well as after he was released to go home.