[Progress in researches on application of functional electrical stimulation technique in paraplegic walking]

Paraplegia is a severe disability of lower limbs resulting from spinal cord injury. Moreover, its incidence has been climbing over the recent years. The most important symptom of paraplegia is the loss of walking ability. Involved researches during recent 40 years have shown that functional electrical stimulation, which could successfully regain some movement function for paraplegic patients, is a new and promising technique in modern rehabilitation engineering. It has been drawing more attention. Here, aiming at this functional electrical stimulation technique for paraplegic walking, we introduce its relevant background knowledge and research progress.