Functional Electrical Stimulation for Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

This case report describes the early use of functional electrical stimulation on an individual with an incomplete spinal cord injury to assist with motor recovery and a return to ambulation. A 32-year-old woman sustained a C7 burst fracture after a fall, requiring anterior cervical fixation from C6 to T1 prior to transfer to acute rehabilitation. She presented as a C8 AIS B spinal cord injury, meaning she had some sensory function spared below the level of injury but not motor function. At discharge from acute inpatient rehabilitation, she was able to ambulate household distances with supervision using a rolling walker and required a manual wheelchair for community mobility. Four months after discharge, she was ambulating in the community using a standard cane.