Functional Electrical Stimulation in Post-Stroke Gait Rehabilitation: Effects on Foot Drop and Walking Performance

Stroke is a major cause of long-term disability and is frequently associated with gait impairments such as foot drop, which reduce walking efficiency, balance, and functional independence. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effects of peroneal nerve functional electrical stimulation on walking performance and lower-limb function in post-stroke patients with foot drop. Ten individuals with post-stroke hemiplegia were assigned to an experimental group (n=5), which received functional electrical stimulation-assisted gait training combined with conventional physiotherapy, and a control group (n=5), which received conventional therapy without functional electrical stimulation. Both groups followed a two-week rehabilitation program. Outcome measures included the 10- meter walking test, ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, dorsiflexor muscle strength, spasticity, and stride length. The experimental group showed a statistically significant improvement in the 10-meter walking test (p<0.05), with a clear reduction in walking time. Positive changes were also observed in ankle dorsiflexion and muscle strength, while stride length and spasticity did not show significant improvements. These findings suggest that functional electrical stimulation may be a useful adjunct to conventional rehabilitation for improving short-term walking performance in post-stroke patients with foot drop. However, because of the small sample size and short intervention period, the results should be interpreted as preliminary and require confirmation through larger controlled studies.