A four-week, task-specific neuroprosthesis program for a person with no active wrist or finger movement because of chronic stroke.
OBJECTIVE
This case report describes a task-specific training protocol incorporating functional electrical stimulation for a person who had chronic stroke and who initially exhibited no active wrist or finger movement.


METHODS
A 63-year-old man with hemiparesis caused by an ischemic stroke 7 years before the intervention described here received task-specific training incorporating an electrical stimulation neuroprosthesis 3 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks. Testing was conducted before and after the intervention and again 6 weeks later with stroke-specific outcome measures.


RESULTS
Increases in function and quality of life were observed after the intervention.


CONCLUSIONS
An intervention incorporating task-specific training with functional electrical stimulation appears to have increased function and quality of life in a person with chronic stroke. This type of intervention might provide a pathway by which people with similar impairments would become eligible for more advanced treatment regimens, such as modified constraint-induced therapy.
Dunning
Kari
K
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Allied Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati Academic Medical Center, 3202 Eden Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45220-0394, USA. kari.dunning@uc.edu
Berberich
Ashley
A
Albers
Bethany
B
Mortellite
Kelly
K
Levine
Peter G
PG
Hill Hermann
Valerie A
VA
Page
Stephen J
SJ
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005385:Fingers / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011788:Quality of Life; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D014955:Wrist Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*