| Objective: To investigate the efficacy of the motion feedback functional electrical stimulation (FES) on motor function and walking ability of stroke patients with foot drop and varus ankle. Methods: Thirty-four stroke patients with foot drop and varus ankle were randomly divided into the FES group (n=17) and the control group (n=17). All patients had received the fundamental rehabilitation therapy. Additionally, the patients in the FES group were given walk training with FES for 20 min, and those in the control group were subjected to conventional walking exercise in the same time. These therapies were performed once a day, 5 days a week, totally 4 weeks. Fugl-Meyer assessment of lower extremity (FMA-LE), Timed Up and Go test (TUGT), manual muscle test (MMT) and modified Ashworth scale (MAS) were evaluated at the beginning and end of this clinical study. In addition, gait asymmetry index (GAI) and swing time variability (STV) were measured in the FES group. Results: At the beginning of the whole treatment, there was no significant difference between these two groups in terms of all the assessments (P>0.05). After 4-week treatment, all measurements in the FES group were increased significantly as compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), while only TUGT and MMT scores in the control group were improved significantly (P<0.05). Furthermore, the FMA-LE, TUGT and MAS scores in the FES group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), while the MMT scores showed no significant difference (P>0.05). Conclusion: The motion feedback FES could significantly improve the motor function and walking ability of stroke patients; what's more, the strength of the ankle back muscle could be increased, and the muscle spasms could be relieved. |
