Fesia Functional Electrical Stimulation for Upper Extremity

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) uses electrical currents to externally activate the nerves and finally activate the muscles responsible for the movements of interest. FES applied via transcutaneous electrodes is a common rehabilitation technique for assisting grasp in patients with central nervous system lesions. In upper extremities, FES can be used as neural-prosthesis, or as a therapeutic tool. In the former, some of the missing functionality is achieved by externally controlled electrical stimulation, wherein the latter FES provides functional exercise which is proven to lead to relearning of motor control, as well as muscle strengthening, thus aiding reestablishment of some of the functionality. Technology that will be used in this study enhances the capacity of FES through the application of multi-pad electrodes and smart protocols for rehabilitation exercises. To improve the stimulation effectiveness of conventional FES, introduced technology relies on spatio-temporal distributed stimulation over the multi-pad electrodes and a battery of predefined, field-tested protocols for rehabilitation.