A literature review of the current use of electrical stimulation for lower limb treatment of children with cerebral palsy

There are two distinct ways of applying electrical stimulation (ES) as a treatment option for the lower limb of children with cerebral palsy (CP) – orthotic and therapeutic. Therapeutic ES is ES applied as part of an exercise regime whereas orthotic ES is ES applied to enable useful functional movement, e.g. ankle dorsiflexion activated by peroneal nerve stimulation during the swing phase of gait. Therapeutic stimulation has been shown to be an effective intervention in several case studies and in at least one group study. It can improve muscle bulk, joint range of motion (ROM), and has been shown to have beneficial carry over in gait patterns in some studies. It does not appear to be necessary, from these studies, to design a therapeutic electrical stimulator specifically for use by this population. Existing electrical stimulators used for therapeutic stimulation in adults are likely to also be suitable for children.