Bibliometric analysis of research on spinal cord injury and functional electrical stimulation: trends and frontiers

Bibliometric analysis OBJECTIVES: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe central nervous system trauma with no effective treatment methods currently available. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) plays a significant role in the rehabilitation of SCI by employing various stimulation strategies and control methods to effectively assist clinical patients or experimental animals in improving impaired functions. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the research on electrical stimulation therapy in SCI to determine current research trends and emerging frontiers.

Not applicable.

Retrieve and compile articles related to SCI and FES from the Web of Science Core Collection spanning the years 2005-2024. Perform a bibliometric analysis, integrating statistical and visual methods, utilizing CiteSpace (version 6.2) and R (version 4.3.2).

This study ultimately included a total of 1809 publications. The annual number of publications in this field is increasing year by year. China and the United States are the two most productive countries. The journal with the highest number of publications is Experimental Neurology. Additionally, the timeline view of keyword clusters and keyword bursts reveals that the main research frontiers are Exercises, Functional recovery, Neurogenic bladder.

In recent years, studies related to FES treatment for SCI have attracted the attention of many clinicians and scholars. This study, conducts a bibliometric analysis of FES treatment for SCI, aiming to provide practical guidance for clinicians to understand the current research status and trends in this field.