Functional Electrical Stimulation to Assist Equinovarus Deformity during Gait for a Patient with a Foot Dystonia: A Case Report

Fechter BJ and Hayes HA

Department of Physical Therapy, University of Utah, USA

^*Correspondance to: Heather A Hayes 

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Abstract:

Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) to address a walking difficulty associated with equinovarus deformity and foot drop has been shown to improve gait pattern and quality of life in populations with central nervous system disorders. To our knowledge, no research has been performed on the use of FES to address foot drop for a patient with a foot dystonia. The purpose of this single case study was to assess the use of FES for an individual with a foot dystonia on gait speed and quality of life (QOL). After 20 months of daily use of the FES system, clinically significant improvements were noted in 10m Walk Self Selected pace (10SS) and 10m Walk Fast Pace (10FP) both with and without the FES device. 10SS with FES increased +0.17 m/s (+15%); 10FP with FES increased +0.27 m/s (+19%); 10SS without FES increased +0.22 m/s (+19%); and 10FP without FES increased +0.27 m/s (+22%). In addition, improvements were seen in patient subjective report of QOL, which increased by 20%. The results of this case study demonstrate improvement in the gait speed and subjective QOL measures for an individual with an equinovarus deformity secondary to a focal dystonia.

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Cite the Article:

Fechter BJ, Hayes HA. Functional Electrical Stimulation to Assist Equinovarus Deformity during Gait for a Patient with a Foot Dystonia: A Case Report. Ann Clin Case Rep. 2016; 1: 1031.