Development and evaluation of an EMG-based multi-channel electro stimulator for the home treatment of stroke patients
How can EMG-triggered electrotherapy be used to improve the impaired hand function?

After stroke, many patients suffer from an impaired arm function. Three months after a stroke only 20% of all stroke survivors have an entirely normal arm function. To improve the impaired arm function, electrical stimulation (ES) can be used during the treatment after stroke. In ES, muscle contraction is provoked in order to assist the performance of functional activities.

EMG-triggered electrotherapy is a special kind of ES, and is a promising technique for movement retraining. When a patient tries to contract a muscle and an EMG-signal can be detected, the patient will be rewarded by an extra stimulation of the particular muscle. This is done by a release of action potentials in nerve fibers underneath the electrodes by sequences of short electrical stimulation pulses. This technique has already shown to be effective in the rehabilitation of stroke patients.

Until now studies are only evaluating the effect of single-channel stimulation, thus the stimulation of a single muscle. While during relearning, the goal of a movement is important (e.g. picking up a cup of tea) and several muscles are contracted.

In this project the possibilities of ES will be expanded and evaluated to improve the ES-therapy. Therefore, a multi-channel EMG-triggered electrical stimulator is developed. This stimulator is able to stimulate three muscles separately. In addition, a new method for treatment of stroke patients is developed which is based on the multi-channel stimulation technique. The stimulator and the treatment are evaluated within this project.

Project partners within this consortium are: Roessingh Research and Development, The Netherlands; TIC Medizin Technik, Germany; Demcon, The Netherlands; Hedon-Klinik, Germany

This project is sponsored by:

Euregio, Intereg IIIa program

back