Summary The incidence of people surviving with incomplete spinal cord injury is increasing owing to the use of vehicle seat-belts and improved early care. However, the value of the use of functional electrical stimulation (FES) in these subjects was apparently not assessed. This paper describes a treatment report in which FES was used on a female subject with an incomplete spinal cord injury four years after she had completed her rehabilitation in a spinal injury unit. After one year of using FES she had gained enough voluntary strength in her lower limbs to be able to discard her knee-ankle-foot orthoses and to stand and walk independently using a walking frame. Her spasms also reduced, she enjoyed greater independence, and her psychological state and quality of life improved. This study suggests that a research trial on the efficacy of FES in a wide range of subjects with incomplete spinal cord injury is indicated.