Effects of dorsiflexor functional electrical stimulation compared to an ankle/foot orthosis on stroke-related genu recurvatum gait.
Dong-Yun Bae, Jong-Hwa Shin, Ju-Seung Kim
PMID 31871367WHAT IT FOUND
FES increased ankle dorsiflexion and knee flexion at initial contact compared to barefoot walking and an AFO.
However, it did not correct knee hyperextension during mid-stance, and gait speed, step length, and stride length did not change.
Key findings
01FES significantly increased peak ankle dorsiflexion during swing and stance, dorsiflexion at initial contact, knee angle at initial contact, and peak knee flexion on loading compared to both barefoot walking and AFO walking.
02There were no significant differences in gait speed, step length, or stride length across the three walking conditions.
03Knee hyperextension (genu recurvatum) was not efficiently corrected in the stance phase by FES, likely because the stimulation targeted distal muscles rather than proximal ones.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Very small sample size (n=12), which limits the generalizability of the findings. The study only focused on distal muscle stimulation (peroneal nerve/tibialis anterior), which may explain why proximal knee hyperextension was not corrected. The short-term nature of the assessment means long-term effects of FES and AFO use were not explored. The lack of change in gait speed and stride length suggests that kinematic improvements did not translate to immediate functional walking efficiency.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume FES will correct genu recurvatum throughout the entire stance phase or improve walking speed. The study found that while FES improved ankle and knee angles at initial contact, it failed to correct hyperextension during mid-stance and did not change spatiotemporal parameters.