1. Use of the Case Western Reserve/Veterans Administration neuroprosthesis for exercise, standing and transfers by a paraplegic subject
- Author
-
Lori Rhodi, Thomas C. Smith, Michael Miller, Darryl J. DiRisio, Ronald Triolo, Jason P. Gagnon, and George Forrest
- Subjects
Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Engineering ,Neuroprosthetics ,Posture ,Biomedical Engineering ,Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation ,Electric Stimulation Therapy ,Walking ,Metabolic equivalent ,Speech and Hearing ,Physical medicine and rehabilitation ,Activities of Daily Living ,medicine ,Humans ,Orthopedics and Sports Medicine ,Spinal cord injury ,Exercise ,Electric stimulation ,Spinal Cord Injuries ,Paraplegia ,business.industry ,Rehabilitation ,Prostheses and Implants ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Gait ,United States ,Electrodes, Implanted ,United States Department of Veterans Affairs ,Therapy, Computer-Assisted ,Physical therapy ,Current technology ,business ,Metabolic demand ,Follow-Up Studies - Abstract
Functional electric stimulation (FES) is a technology that may allow patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) to transfer stand and walk. This paper reports upon the use of the Case Western Reserve Neuroprosthesis by a T6 ASIA B paraplegic subject. The subject was able to stand for two minutes and 50 seconds. He could walk 35 feet with a swing to gait. Measurement of energy consumption showed that metabolic demand was only 2.1 metabolic equivalent units. The factors that limited the use of the device that need to be improved to make the technology practical for household or community ambulation are speed (5.8 m/min) of ambulation and fatigue of the stimulated muscles.Implications for RehabilitationI think that the article is worth publishing for at least three reasons.It demonstrates the use and limitations of use of functional electric stimulation (FES) for standing and transfers by a paraplegic patient.It implies that main limiting factor to current technology is not the stress on the cardiovascular and p...
- Published
- 2011