Experimental correction of footdrop by electrical stimulation of the peroneal nerve

Footdrop was corrected in thirteen of sixteen patients with centrally paralyzed ankle dorsiflexor muscles who were treated by electrical stimulation of the peroneal nerve by means of surgically implanted electrodes. Four patients required surgical revision before a good result was obtained. After follow-ups of more than three years there was no evidence of any nerve damage caused by chronic electrical stimulation of the peroneal nerve.