Functional electrostimulation in poststroke rehabilitation: a meta-analysis of the randomized controlled trials.

Abstract

To assess the efficacy of functional electrical stimulation (FES) in the rehabilitation of hemiparesis in stroke. A meta-analysis combined the reported randomized controlled trials of FES in stroke, using the effect size method of Glass, and the DerSimonian-Laird Random Effects Method for pooling studies. The included studies were published between 1978 and 1992. They were conducted in academic rehabilitation medicine settings. In all included studies, patients were in poststroke rehabilitation. The mean time after stroke varied from 1.5 to 29.2 months. FES applied to a muscle or associated nerve in a hemiparetic extremity was compared to No FES. Change in paretic muscle force of contraction following FES was compared to change without FES. For the four included studies, the mean effect size was .63 (95% CI: .29, .98). This result was statistically significant (p < .05). Pooling from randomized trials supports FES as promoting recovery of muscle strength after stroke. This effect is statistically significant. There is a reasonable likelihood of clinical significance as well.