Artificial movement and proprioceptive function in spinal cord injured subjects

Functional restoration of paralysed limbs must be focused in both motor and sensory rehabilitation. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been used in upper and lower limb rehabilitation. Quantitative evaluation of the artificial generated movement is necessary to achieve proper muscle activation. For this purpose custom made gloves instrumented with force and position transducers and instrumented insoles were used. This system has also been used to provide sensory feedback (artificial proprioception) for spinal cord injured subjects.