Paralysed muscles can regain their contraction by providing intact peripheral motor nerves, electrical stimulation. To elicit the muscle contraction of the peripheral nerves fibres may be achieved by activation of motor efferent or through reflex pathways by activation of sensory-afferent nerve fibres. The technique may also include activation of sensory nerve fibres for the purpose of eliciting a perceived response in the skin, which may be used to provide sensory clues to the non-sensory extremity. In more than 40 years of FES research, principles for safe stimulation of neuromuscular tissue have been established, and methods for modulating the strength of electrically induced muscle contractions have been discovered. The FES is a rehabilitation strategy which applies electrical current to the nerves that controls paralysed muscles in order to stimulate functional movement. Functional electrical stimulation includes both therapeutic applications and applications to obtain functional restoration of movement. Functional restoration of movement includes applications to enhance manipulation in the upper extremity or locomotion in the lower extremity.
展开▼
