The sooner a patient can get treatment, the greater the likelihood of a better recovery. The National Stroke Association estimates nearly four million Americans are stroke survivors. Roughly 10 percent of patients make almost a complete recovery and 25 percent of patients have lasting minor impairments. Generally, after about a year of rehabilitation, stroke patients reach a plateau in recovery. Those who haven't fully recovered often experience a condition in which the muscles in the arm and shoulder are tightly contracted, causing the fingers, wrist, and elbow to curl tightly against the body.
Patients lose the ability to effectively extend the fingers and grasp objects.
Researchers at the University of Florida are testing a technique, called electromyography-triggered neuromuscular electrical stimulation, to help stroke patients regain some of their motor control. During the treatment, small electrodes are placed on the participants' forearms. Each of the electrodes is attached to a device monitoring electrical activity from the muscles on the arm. As the stroke patient tries to extend the wrist or fingers in a grasping motion, the electrodes pick up the corresponding muscle activity. Then, the device fires a small electrical impulse back to the muscles to stimulate stronger movement.