Electrically stimulated elbow extension in persons with C5/C6 tetraplegia: A functional and physiological evaluation

Objective: To measure the effect of electrically stimulated triceps on elbow extension strength, range of motion, and the performance of overhead reaching tasks. Setting: Clinical research laboratory. Participants: Four individuals with spinal cord injuries at the C5 or C6 motor level. Interventions: The participants, who already had an implanted upper extremity neuroprosthesis, were provided with elbow extension through functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the triceps brachii. Main Outcome Measures: Comparisons of stimulated elbow extension to voluntary elbow extension: (1) evaluations of impairment such as range of motion and strength; (2) performance of a set of functional overhead reaching tasks that required elbow extension; (3) a usage survey (conducted by telephone) to examine use of triceps stimulation in the home and community. Results: All participants achieved greater range of motion and strength of elbow extension with stimulated triceps versus without. Overall functional task performance improved in 100% of the tasks tested for all but one participant, who showed improvement in 60% of the tasks. Participants reported using the triceps in at least one activity for at least 90% of the days the neuroprosthesis was donned.