Lower Limb Prostheses

protesi arto inferiore (lower limb prostheses)

Functional Electrical Stimulators Used To Assist In Activating Nerves

For many people that are paralyzed by injury or neurological disorders, functional electrical stimulators (or FES) can make a huge difference in their recovery. This process of using electrical current to activate nerves in paralyzed areas of the body has been used for a long time all over the world. Japan has an especially active interest in implanting FES in the brain and spinal cord to increase cerebral blood flow. In the United States, one of the more common uses of FES is to stimulate the right median nerve to help wake up injured human brains. The right median nerve is used as the electrical portal mainly because there is a very large cortical representation of that particular nerve in the left side of the brain.

When the spinal cord gets injured, the damage can interfere with electrical signals between the brain and the muscles, which causes paralysis everywhere below the spot that is injured. FES is used in an attempt to restore the use of limbs and organs that are paralyzed, though it is also used to treat pain, pressure and to prevent sores. There are several different applications of FES, including neuroprotheses that let patients with paraplegia walk and patients with quadriplegia grasp things with their hand. Issues of bowel and bladder functionality are also handled with FES.

Since our nervous system is electrical, the impact on our bodies using functional electrical stimulators can be profound. Even with complete paralysis at the thoracic level of the spinal cord, a patient on a demanding training program can walk an average of 450 meters. That is an amazing achievement when you consider that the process of walking is an intricate combination of balance and muscle coordination. FES is used in paralyzed patients for improving blood flow to their lower extremities as well as improving bone density.

Being paralyzed whether by injury or nerve issues impacts a patient in so many ways. Using functional electrical stimulators to improve the abilities of paraplegics, increase blood flow to paralyzed limbs, or allow for the use of prostheses that let people use their limbs. FES is truly a life changing technology that scientists have only just begun to explore.

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Prosthetics and Orthotics: Lower Limb and Spine List Price: $81.95 Sale Price: $64.74 You save: $17.21 (21%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description State Univ. of New York, Syracuse. Illustrated text features in-depth analysis of gait deviations, interventions, and implications for prosthetics and orthotics. Includes latest developments in materials and fabrications, scientific literature supporting evidence-based practice, terminology, and case studies. For students.