Effects of Electrical Stimulation Therapy for Residual Foot Drop Following Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Surgery: A Case...

This case report describes a patient with residual foot drop following lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) surgery, who demonstrated improvement after undergoing neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and functional electrical stimulation (FES). The patient, a 70-year-old man, had foot drop attributed to LSS. During the initial phase of treatment, NMES using high-voltage pulsed current was applied to facilitate contraction of the ankle dorsiflexor muscles. As his walking ability stabilized, FES was introduced during ambulation to support functional muscle activation. As a result, the patient experienced improvements in gait function, ankle dorsiflexion function, and fear of walking. This case suggests that in patients with residual foot drop after LSS surgery, a combination of NMES to enhance muscle contraction and FES to assist walking may contribute to functional recovery.