Rehabilitation treatment with the aid of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES)
for dorsiflexion deficits of the foot
Vittoria Rossi, Fabrizio Gervasoni, Vincenzo Ricci, Arnaldo Andreoli
The clinical sign of “foot drop” is a significant disturbance during the performance of patients’ activities of daily living, as it affects the proper gait cycle, increasing energy expenditure and predisposing the patient to a risk of falling. Concurrently with physiotherapeutic rehabilitation treatment with therapeutic exercise, sthenic reinforcement, proprioceptive training and instrumental therapies (e.g., electrostimulation for denervated muscle, magnet therapy), adaptive orthotic solutions, such as therapeutic braces or footwear, can be provided, which can also be complemented by devices for Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). In dorsiflexion deficits of the foot, functional electrical stimulation can be delivered at the proximal end of the fibula in order to evoke stimulation of the deep fibular nerve, vicariating the dorsiflexion of the foot.