Task-oriented functional electrical stimulation for training of upper extremity and hand function in patients with traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Objective To observe the effects of task-oriented functional electrical stimulation in training of upper limb function,hand function and abilities of daily living in patients with traumatic brain injury.Methods Patients with hemiplegia after traumatic brain injury were randomly divided into three groups:a control group (n =29,conventional rehabilitation methods were used),a functional electrical stimulation group (FES group,n =28,functional electrical stimulation therapy was used based on conventional rehabilitation therapy),and a task-oriented functional electrical stimulation group (TFES group,n =29,task-oriented functional electrical stimulation therapy was applied based on conventional rehabilitation therapy).All the patients were treated for 3 months.Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment Scale (FMA),goniometer,modified Barthel Index(MBI),and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) were employed to evaluate the upper limb function,range of motion of hand and wrist joint,abilities of daily living,before treatment,and after one and three months of treatment,respectively.Results After 1 and 3 months of treatment,the FMA scores of patients in FES group were 27.21 ± 6.78 and 29.18 ± 9.03,and the range of wrist extension were 7.43° ± 4.44° and 14.86° ± 7.14°,respectively.Patients in TFES group got the score of 29.79 ± 8.64 and 31.86 ± 10.96 with FMA,7.34° ±7.35° and 18.97° ± 9.27° of wrist extension,respectively,after 1 and 3 months.The score of FMA and range of wrist extension in TFES group and FES group were significant higher than those in control group (P ＜ 0.05),and the scores of FMA after 1 and 3 months of treatment in TFEA group were significantly better than those in the FES groupo.MBI and FIM scores after 3 months of treatment were (66.14 ± 23.60) and (82.38 ± 25.71),respectively,significantly higher than those in FES group (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Task-oriented functional electrical stimulation therapy can improve upper limb functional,hand function and abilities of daily living in patients with traumatic brain injury. Key words: Traumatic brain injury; Functional electrical stimulation; Task-oriented therapy; Upper extremity function; Hand function