Case report on the use of a functional electrical orthosis in rehabilitation of upper limb function in a chronic stroke patient

Introduction. The increasing incidence of strokes and their occurrence in younger active people require the development of solutions that allow participation, despite the debilitating deficit that is not always solved by rehabilitation. The present report shows such a potential solution. Objective. In this presentation we will show the effects of using a functional electric orthosis, the high number of repetitions and daily electrostimulation in a young stroke patient with motor deficit in the upper limb, the difficulties encountered in attempting to use orthosis, the results and the course of its recovery over the years. Materials and Methods. The present report shows the evolution of a 31-year-old female patient with hemiplegia, resulting from a hemorrhagic stroke, from the moment of surgery to the moment of purchasing a functional electrical orthosis and a few months later, highlighting a 3-week period when the training method focused on performing a large number of repetitions of a single exercise helped by the orthosis - 3 weekly physical therapy sessions, with a duration of one hour and 15 minutes, plus 2 electrostimulation sessions lasting 20 minutes each and 100 elbow extension, daily, 6 times a week. The patient was evaluated and filmed at the beginning and end of the 3 week period. The patient's consent was obtained for the use of the data and images presented. Results. Invalidating motor deficiency and problems specific to the use of upper limb functional electrostimulation in patients with stroke sequelae (flexion synergy, exaggeration of reflex response, wrist position during stimulation, etc.) made it impossible to use orthosis in functional activities within ADL although it allowed the achievement of a single task. Evaluation on the Fugl-Mayer assessment does not show any quantifiable progress, although it is possible to have slightly improved the control of the shoulder and elbow and increased the speed of task execution. Conclusions. The use of functional orthoses of this type may be useful in patients who still have a significant functional rest in the shoulder, elbow and hand, and where the orthosis can produce an effective grasp. However for some patients, perhaps those who would have been desirable to benefit most from this treatment, the benefit of using this orthosis is minimal.