Scientific Reports, 2019 · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49237-3 · Published: September 1, 2019
This paper describes a Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) standing system for rehabilitation of bone mineral density (BMD) in people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). The standing system developed comprises an instrumented frame equipped with force plates and load cells, a motion capture system, and a purpose built 16-channel FES unit. To validate the system an alternate weight-shift exercise was used; 3 participants with complete SCI exercised in the system for 1 hour twice-weekly for 6 months.
The FES standing system can be used to help rehabilitate bone mineral density in people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), reducing the risk of fractures and improving quality of life.
The instrumented frame, combined with FES and visual feedback, provides a safe and effective platform for SCI patients to perform standing exercises and improve lower limb conditioning.
The system's ability to generate higher ground reaction forces than other systems suggests its potential for studying and achieving significant BMD improvements in SCI patients.