Neuromuscular restorative therapy: A therapeutic application of functional electrical stimulation in individuals with spinal cord injury

The study examined a novel therapeutic application of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), Neuromuscular Restorative Therapy (NRT), which combines FES, muscle strengthening, functional movement training, and stretching, for individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). A Reach, Grasp, Transport, and Release (RGTR) task was developed and tested for consistency on three controls as a measure of hand grasp. Two individuals with chronic cervical SCI participated for three months. It was hypothesized they would demonstrate improved motor and functional abilities in the hand treated. Neurological classification, daily function, sensorimotor function, and grasping were evaluated pre and post NRT. Participants demonstrated increases of greater than two in the Manual Muscle Test for finger flexors, in the tasks of the modified Sollerman Hand Function Test requiring finger flexion, and a significant increase in Successful Object Contact (Participant 1: p ≤ 0.005 and Participant 2: p = 0.046). These findings, demonstrated increased motor abilities following NRT.