Article

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of functional electrical
stimulation (FES) applied to the tibialis anterior and gluteus medius muscles on
the improvement of the spatiotemporal parameters of gait in individuals with a
hemiparetic stroke. Thirty-six patients who had suffered a hemiparesis post
stroke were enrolled in this study. The participants walked at a self-selected
velocity on three different FES applications: (1) FES-triggered gait on the
gluteus medius in the stance phase and the tibialis anterior in the swing phase
(GM+TA), (2) FES-triggered gait on the tibialis anterior in the swing phase (TA
only), and (3) gait without FES-triggered (Non-FES). FES was triggered when the
heel in the affected lower limb was placed in contact with an on or off foot
switch sensor. The effect of FES applications was assessed using GAITRite for
spatiotemporal data. The gait speed, cadence, and stride length were
significantly higher under the GM+TA condition than under the TA only and
None-FES conditions. The gait speed, cadence and stride length were increased
significantly in the TA only condition compared with the Non-FES condition. The
double support time and gait symmetry were significantly improved in the GM+TA
condition compared to the TA only and Non-FES conditions. These findings suggest
that walking with FES of the gluteus medius in the stance phase and tibialis
anterior in the swing phase can improve the spatiotemporal parameters of gait in
individuals with hemiparetic stroke.
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Langue : ANGLAIS