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FES can be used to treat a range of conditions and may be able to offer you assistance. Do you sometimes catch your foot when walking, trip or fall? These are just a few of the common conditions which can be treated using FES.
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a technique uses an electrical current to cause a muscle to contract. The body naturally uses electrical currents to make muscles move, these devices can therefore help stimulate the muscles when this is not possible due to a neurological condition.
Electrical signals normally sent to through the nervous system may not function as well after a stroke. FES allows muscles which have been paralysed or partially paralysed to move again. As the muscles themselves are perfectly healthy and functional but the function to stimulate them has been impaired by the stroke.
A trained neurological physiotherapist uses FES to apply an electrical current to the skin over a nerve, bulk of a muscle, which causes muscle contraction.
There are various FES products which each vary slightly but all have the same core goal to stimulate muscle contraction. Which can then be used to provide the following for the patient:
Many people who have a long term neurological condition suffer with what doctors call ‘dropped foot’. This is when the foot catches the floor as you swing your leg through to take a step. The most common solution for this problem is a hard plastic splint called an AFO (Ankle Foot Orthosis). Technological advances now allow us to stimulate the nerves that supply the muscles that lift the foot by electrical stimulation. All of the products on the market are designed to help you:
The SaeboStretch uses a revolutionary stretch technology, which allows the fingers to move through flexion caused by associated reactions and tone. In addition, it utilizes a low-load, long-duration stretch to return the fingers to the desired position.
Read moreThe SaeboReach not only incorporates the affected wrist and hand but also the elbow. The orthosis consists of the SaeboFlex® hand unit and the above-elbow component to facilitate extension of the arm.
Read moreThe SaeboFlex allows individuals suffering from neurological impairments the ability to incorporate their hand functionally in therapy and at home by supporting the weakened wrist, hand, and fingers.
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