Impact on activities of daily living using a functional electrical stimulation device to improve dropped foot in people with multiple sclerosis, measured by the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure

• Published in: Multiple sclerosis Vol. 16; no. 9; pp. 1141 - 1147
• Main Authors: Esnouf, JE, Taylor, PN, Mann, GE, Barrett, CL
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-09-2010; Sage Publications; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Accidental Falls - prevention & control; Activities of Daily Living; Biological and medical sciences; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Disability Evaluation; Electric Stimulation Therapy - instrumentation; England; Female; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - diagnosis; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - etiology; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - physiopathology; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - therapy; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive - complications; Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive - diagnosis; Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive - physiopathology; Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive - therapy; Neurology; Patient Satisfaction; Physical Therapy Modalities; Recovery of Function; Treatment Outcome; Walking; England; Activities of Daily Living; functional electrical stimulation (FES); falls; patient-centred outcome measure; COPM; multiple sclerosis; dropped foot; Human; Nervous system diseases; Multiple sclerosis; Prognosis; Daily living; Electrical stimulus; Inflammatory disease; Foot; Central nervous system disease; Degenerative disease; Performance
• ISSN: 1352-4585; 1477-0970
• DOI: 10.1177/1352458510366013

Background: Dropped foot is a common problem following multiple sclerosis. Functional electrical stimulation can elicit an active muscle contraction providing dorsiflexion and eversion.
Objective: To determine if the Odstock dropped foot stimulator (ODFS), improved Activities of Daily Living for people with multiple sclerosis.
Method: 64 people with unilateral dropped foot due to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis took part in a randomized controlled trial. Research volunteers were assigned to a group using the ODFS or a group who received physiotherapy exercises for 18 weeks. Outcome measures were the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and a falls diary.
Results: Results of 53 research volunteers are reported. Improvements in performance and satisfaction scores were greater in the ODFS group than the exercise group; (p < 0.05). Use of the ODFS was also perceived as effective in reducing tripping and increasing walking distance. The median number of falls were 5 in the ODFS group and 18 in the exercise group (p = 0.036) over the study period.
Conclusion: The study shows that people with multiple sclerosis using the ODFS increased their COPM performance and satisfaction scores of their identified problems of Activities of Daily Living more than a matched group who received physiotherapy exercises. ODFS users also experienced fewer falls.