Comparing preference related to comfort in torque-matched muscle contractions between two different types of functional electrical stimulation pulses in able-bodied participants

The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2021 · DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2021.1970882 · Published: September 1, 2021

Spinal Cord Injury Neurology Rehabilitation

Simple Explanation

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is used in rehabilitation to help people recover motor functions after injuries like stroke or spinal cord injury. However, it can be uncomfortable, causing people to stop therapy. To address the discomfort issue, a new stimulator called MyndMove™ has been created to provide more comfortable contractions compared to regular stimulators like Compex Motion. This study compares MyndMove™ and Compex Motion, looking at comfort levels during muscle contractions at different stimulation intensities to see which one is preferred.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Twelve able-bodied participants

Evidence Level

Cross-sectional, interventional

Key Findings

1
Participants felt less discomfort with MyndMove™ during high-intensity stimulation, suggesting it could make stronger contractions more tolerable.
2
MyndMove™ stimulations were preferred in 60% of all contractions, indicating a generally better comfort experience for participants.
3
MyndMove™ delivers less charge to generate contractions of equivalent intensity, compared to Compex Motion.

Research Summary

This study compared two FES systems, MyndMove™ and Compex Motion, in terms of discomfort and preference during torque-matched muscle contractions in able-bodied individuals. The results showed that MyndMove™ was associated with significantly lower discomfort scores at high stimulation intensities and was generally preferred over Compex Motion. The study suggests that MyndMove™ may reduce discomfort by delivering less charge to generate equivalent contractions, potentially increasing the accessibility of FES therapy.

Practical Implications

Increased FES Accessibility

Reducing discomfort during FES may help in generating stronger and more clinically useful contractions, increasing accessibility of FES therapy to include individuals with low tolerance to FES.

Improved Therapeutic Effect

The generation of stronger contractions is clinically relevant, enabling therapists to increase the therapeutic effect of FEST.

Better Patient Compliance

Lower discomfort levels can improve patient compliance and adherence to FES therapy, leading to better rehabilitation outcomes.

Study Limitations

1
The comparison between the two types of FES pulses were conducted in able-bodied individuals
2
MTCs would likely be different in the neurologically involved population.
3
the stimulation train is usually maintained for much longer than 2 s in therapeutic FES applications.

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