Article

Gait dysfunctions are highly prevalent in individuals post-stroke and affect
multiple lower extremity joints. Recent evidence suggests that treadmill walking
at faster than self-selected speeds can help improve post-stroke gait
impairments. Also, the combination of functional electrical stimulation (FES) and
treadmill training has emerged as a promising post-stroke gait rehabilitation
intervention. However, the differential effects of combining FES with treadmill
walking at the fast versus a slower, self-selected speed have not been compared
previously. In this study, we compared the immediate effects on gait while
post-stroke individuals walked on a treadmill at their self-selected speed
without FES (SS), at the SS speed with FES (SS-FES), at the fastest speed they
are capable of attaining (FAST), and at the FAST speed with FES (FAST-FES).
During SS-FES and FAST-FES, FES was delivered to paretic ankle plantarflexors
during terminal stance and to paretic dorsiflexors during swing phase. Our
results showed improvements in peak anterior ground reaction force (AGRF) and
trailing limb angle during walking at FAST versus SS. FAST-FES versus SS-FES
resulted in greater peak AGRF, trailing limb angle, and swing phase knee flexion.
FAST-FES resulted in further increase in peak AGRF compared to FAST. We posit
that the enhancement of multiple aspects of post-stroke gait during FAST-FES
suggest that FAST-FES may have potential as a post-stroke gait rehabilitation
intervention.
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Langue : ANGLAIS