Purpose : This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of FES with abdominal muscle contraction before virtual reality training on balance and gait ability in patients of stroke patients.
Methods : The subjects were 30 stroke patients who satisfied the selection criteria. They were randomly assigned to a group receiving functional electrical stimulation with a virtual reality training program (the experiment group, n=15) and placebo functional electrical stimulation with a virtual reality training program (the control group, n=15). The program consisted of three 30-min sessions per week for six weeks. The timed up and go test (TUG), the BT4, the G-WALK were used to estimate subjects’ balance, gait before and after the program. For the experiment group, the functional electrical stimulation was applied to the external oblique and the rectus abdominis, For the control group, the same program and the placebo functional electrical stimulation were applied.
Results : There were significant improvements in the subscales of the balance and gait ability test of those who participated in the functional electrical stimulation, while the control group showed no significant changes.
Conclusion : Therefore, functional electrical stimulation with virtual reality effectively improved the balance and gait ability in patients with chronic stroke.