Effects of a simple functional electric system and/or a hinged ankle-foot orthosis on walking in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury

Kim CM, Eng JJ, Whittaker MW. Effects of a simple functional electric system and/or a hinged ankle-foot orthosis on walking in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury.Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:1718–23. To compare the effect of functional electric stimulation (FES) with that of a hinged ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) for assisting foot clearance, gait speed, and endurance and to determine whether there is added benefit in using FES in conjunction with the hinged AFO in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Within-subject comparison of walking under 4 conditions: AFO, FES, AFO and FES, and no orthosis. A plastic hinged AFO was used for all AFO conditions. Tertiary rehabilitation center. Nineteen subjects with incomplete SCI. Not applicable. The self-selected gait speed, 6-minute walk distance, and foot clearance values were compared between conditions. Gait speed increased with FES ( P