New treatments such as functional electrical stimulation (FES) have been developed that allow people with spinal cord injury (SCI) the ability to stand and walk. This study investigated the use of FES-assisted gait training for two subjects with incomplete spinal cord injury in a single subject, repeated measures A-B design. Average walking velocity, cadence and stride length were determined while walking with and without FES at baseline and post-treatment evaluations. Changes in parameters were analyzed statistically and explained in biomechanical terms. FES-assisted gait training affected modifications in the gait parameters. One subject, initially a non-reciprocal walker, was able to walk overground at a faster velocity, cadence and longer stride length. Both subjects showed gains in these parameters over time. This study provided positive evidence for the use of FES-assisted gait training for these individuals with incomplete SCI. This may indicate that FES is a potentially useful rehabilitative tool as a gait aid for persons with SCI.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.27508 |
| Date | January 1997 |
| Creators | Chilco, Lucy. |
| Contributors | Barbeau, Hugues (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (School of Physical and Occupational Therapy.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001601611, proquestno: MQ37106, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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