Standing the spinal cord injured patient by electrical stimulation: refinement of a protocol for clinical use

Abstract

Standing by functional neuromuscular stimulation can be obtained in a select subpopulation of spinal cord injured individuals. This technology has not yet been made available to patients on a clinical basis. The methodology for a simple two-channel protocol is described in detail, including biomechanics, stimulator design, and muscle response to stimulation. This protocol shows reasonable promise of successful clinical implementation in the future. Results over a five-year period are presented which include data on 21 patients. Estimates of the potential user population of this protocol is 10 percent of the paraplegic population.