Functional Electrical Therapy of Upper Extremities

This chapter describes functional electrical therapy (FET) systems that relate to the methods used in recovery of upper limb functioning in humans with a sensory -  motor lesion in the central nervous system (CNS) that impacts reaching and grasping. FET functionally assists the user while the sensory feedback associated with the performance of the activities contributes to the relearning process of the brain. This functional sensory feedback should be maximized both in intensity and duration and should not be limited to short clinical training sessions. During the therapy period, a FET system can be provided to each stroke patient for use during his or her daily activities, thus resulting in intensive training. FET allows patients to train performing functional movements and learn new strategies of optimal use of preserved sensory - motor mechanism. This training could be understood as the process of recalibration of the natural control system.