A treadmill apparatus with a computer-assisted functional electrical stimulation system and foot switch control for restoration of ambulation in stroke patients

A computer-assisted and foot switch controlled functional electrical stimulation (FES) system was developed to present to walking subject real-time stimulating to their muscle during gait training. The FES was controlled by foot switch placed on the heel of unaffected foot and as a trigger to stimulate the muscles of the affected side. The purpose was to compare the effectiveness of this new developed system to a focused program of physical therapy for gait. Twelve hemiplegic patients were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=6) treated with the new developed FES system or a control group (n=6) treated with conventional physical therapy program. Gait analysis was obtained prior to and following every type of treatment. Stride length, walking velocity and functional ambulation category (FAC) were greatly increased in experimental group. A paired t-test revealed that differences in electromyography (EMG) of quadriceps and tibialis anterior muscles between patients' affected and unaffected sides were not significant after four-months training. It is concluded that a treadmill apparatus with a computer-assisted FES system controlled by foot switch is an effective tool for retraining gait in stroke patients.