Abstract
The emerging literature suggests that implantable functional electrical stimulation may improve gait performance in stroke survivors. However, there is no review providing the possible therapeutic effects of implanted functional electrical stimulation on gait performance in stroke survivors. We performed a web-based, systematic paper search using PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE. We limited the search results to human subjects and papers published in peer-reviewed journals in English. We did not restrict demographic or clinical characteristics. We included 10 papers in the current systematic review. Across all included studies, we found preliminary evidence of the potential therapeutic effects of functional electrical stimulation on walking endurance, walking speed, ankle mobility, and push-off force in stroke survivors. However, due to the heterogeneity between the included studies, small sample size, and lack of randomized controlled trials, more studies are critically needed to confirm whether implanted functional electrical stimulation can improve gait performance in stroke survivors.
Highlights
In the United States (US), nearly 800,000 people experience a stroke each year [1], and approximately 4% of the US population will have experienced a stroke by 2030 [2]
We screened the title and abstract for the remaining 526 papers and excluded 512 papers that did not report the efficacy of implantable functional electrical stimulation on gait performance in stroke survivors
We aimed to provide a systematic review of the effect of implanted functional electrical stimulation on gait performance in stroke survivors
Summary
In the United States (US), nearly 800,000 people experience a stroke each year [1], and approximately 4% of the US population will have experienced a stroke by 2030 [2]. Stroke is ranked as the second leading cause of mortality, with more than 5 million deaths attributed to stroke in 2016 [3]. Stroke is ranked as the second most common cause of disability worldwide, accounting for more than 116 million disability-adjusted life-years in 2016 [3]. 80% of strokes are ischemic, caused by blood clots blocking blood flow to the brain, and 20% are hemorrhagic, caused when a blood vessel leaks or ruptures [4]. The treatment of ischemic stroke is time-sensitive and requires thrombolytic therapy (delivered intravenously). For hemorrhagic stroke, thrombolytic therapy is contraindicated. Treatment of either type of stroke is time-sensitive, and if recognized early, is treatable
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