Stimulation of paralysed quadriceps muscles with sequentially and spatially distributed electrodes during dynamic knee extension.

Only four participants were included, so this is a small case series rather than a trial. All participants had motor-complete spinal cord injury and untrained, atrophied muscles, so results may not apply to people with different injury levels or trained muscles. The measured power outputs were very low and likely not sufficient for functional tasks. Fatigue resistance was not consistent across participants. No valid peak power or time-to-peak values were available for all extensions. Unintended muscle activity occurred, including abdominal contractions and hip flexor co-contractions. The study was designed as pilot data for future sample-size and power calculations, not as a definitive efficacy trial.

The supplied text names the Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung as funder and does not state a conflicts-of-interest declaration.

Do not conclude that the distributed electrode setup improves functional cycling or fatigue resistance in spinal cord injury. The study tested four untrained participants, produced low power outputs, and fatigue resistance worsened for one participant.