Comparison of Energy Costs of Leg-Cycling Wheelchairs With or Without Functional Electrical Stimulation and Manual Wheelchairs for Patients After Stroke
By Lo, Hsin-Chang; Yeh, Chun-Yu; Su, Fong-Chin; Tsai, Kuen-Horng; Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, Volume 42, Number 7, pages 645-649Publication Date: 2010
Study sought to determine whether propelling a functional electrical stimulation assisted leg cycling wheelchair (FES-LW) in patients after stroke has lower energy costs than propelling a manual wheelchair, and whether leg propulsion with FES has lower energy costs than without FES. The study used a manual wheelchair, a leg-cycling wheelchair (LW) equipped with a cycling system to which 2 ankle-foot orthoses were attached, and the FES-LW, which added a 2 channel FES controller with a shaft encoder to the LW. The shaft encoder continuously measured the position of the affected leg, whereas the FES controller stimulated the affected leg when sweeping through specific ranges, namely 50 to 180 degrees for quadriceps and 200 to 290 degrees for hamstring. Participants were 16 stroke patients with hemiplegia aged 35 to 72 years, of whom 5 were women. Participants propelled each of the wheelchairs for 200 meters as quickly as possible. Cardiopulmonary responses including heart rate, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, minute ventilation, and respiratory exchange ratio, as well as energy costs were compared for each participant during propulsion. The cardiopulmonary responses were significantly higher, and energy costs significantly lower for propelling the FES-LW and LW compared with the manual wheelchair. No significant difference was found between the FES-LW and the LW. Study limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
Published by: Foundation for Rehabilitation Information (Website:http://www.medicaljournals.se/jrm/foundation/)
Link to text: http://www.medicaljournals.se/jrm/content/?doi=10.2340/16501977-0572&html=1
