[Gait training and functional electric stimulation with hemiplegic patients]

Cerebrovascular accident (stroke) is focal neurological deficiency occurring suddenly and lasting for more than 24 hours. Among its consequences are hemiplegia, speech impairment, swallowing impairment, changes of the facial nerve, sensibility, sphincter control or physiological changes. The goals of the study are to show the place functional electrical stimulation (FES) in the rehabilitation hemiplegic patients after cerebrovascular accident. In our study we analyzed two comparative groups with 40 hemiplegic patients, the first one, control group treated only with kinezitheraphy, and the second one, tested group treated with kinezitheraphy and functional electrical stimulation. Both groups of patients were analyzed according to gender, the etiology of the cerebrovascular accident and the duration of rehabilitation. We also had special analyzed of walking by BI index. Results has shown that we had two comparative groups according to gender and the etiology of the cerebrovascular accident. The duration of rehabilitation was longer in control group (77.5% for four months, 10% for five months) which is treated with kinezitherapy than in the tested group treated with kinezitheraphy and functional electrical stimulation (80% for three months, 20% for four months). After 4 weeks of rehabilitation of hemiplegic patients there are no significant differences between groups tested by BI index. After 8 and 12 weeks of rehabilitation tested gruop of patients treated with kinezitheraphy and functional electrical stimulation showed statistically significant better results than control group by BI index. In the conclusion we can say that functional electrical stimulation and kinezitherapy is methods which is faster, more successful and with better results in gait training.