Functional Electrical Stimulation Spinal Cord Injury

Electrical stimulation is again making news for helping people with spinal cord injuries scis make progress in their spinal cord injury recovery.

Functional electrical stimulation spinal cord injury.

1 for high cervical injuries ventilation assistance is often required. In a recently published article in nature researchers shared how electrical stimulation in combination with physical therapy helped human test subjects with residual motor function regain control of their leg muscles. Reversal of muscle atrophy also appears feasible in more longstanding complete or motor complete sci i e. 2 years post injury as shown by increases in muscle cross sectional area and the muscle adipose tissue ratio using fes cycling crameri et al 2002.

Functional electrical stimulation fes for spinal cord injury functional electrical stimulation fes uses small electrical impulses to activate specific muscles and nerves. The electrical stimulation can cause your muscles to contract which may promote increased muscle bulk or muscle. Spinal cord injuries sci can disrupt communications between the brain and the body resulting in loss of control over otherwise intact neuromuscular systems. By implanting a stimulator and 16 electrode array to the spinal column electrical currents can excite motor neurons below the level of injury to promote movement.

Epidural stimulation is an invasive type of electrical stimulation that can significantly improve mobility after spinal cord injury. Scremin et al 1999 in chronic sci fatigability is also a key issue due to changes in muscle fiber composition. People who have had a spinal cord injury may benefit from functional electrical stimulation. These impulses trigger the desired function such as contracting muscles to move a foot or lift an arm.