State of art: Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES)

Persons, who are paralysed due to accidents, use mechanical devices for their rehabilitation, as drugs really do not cure them. These devices could be passive or active having their own disadvantages of size, weight and overall complexity and providing limited degrees of freedom. As such, none of the available orthotic devices aid the patients with long term rehabilitation. This has led to a new area of studies, wherein a combination of the available body energy with sophisticated electronic devices, called Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) is used for rehabilitation. FES is a rehabilitation technique that applies electrical currents to activate nerves innervating extremities affected by paralysis resulting from Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), head injury, stroke or other neurological disorders, restoring function in people with disabilities. The paper highlights the role played by FES in the rehabilitation of patients affected by paralysis of muscles like hemiplegia, paraplegia or quadriplegia. It focuses on its growth, applications, limitations and current status. The paper provides useful insight to those who want to work in the field of rehabilitation.