A functional electric orthesis on the paretic leg improves quality of life of stroke patients.

CONTEXT Hemiparesia changes quality of life of patients with stroke making difficult a normal life. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of Functional Eletric Orthesis (FEO) applied over the paretic leg in the quality of life of stroke patients. METHOD The quality of life of 50 stroke patients of Associacao de Assistencia a Crianca Deficiente (AACD) was evaluated with SF-36 questionnaire before and after the treatment with a FEO for rehabilitation of walking. We analyzed data according to gender and affected hemisphere. RESULTS The average values from all domains of SF-36 improved significantly (p<0.001). Female patients improved more than male in Emotional Domain (p=0.04) and presented a trend to be better regarding Bodily Pain and Social Functioning. Patients with right hemiparesia improved more than those with left hemiparesia (p=0.02). CONCLUSION FEO over a paretic leg is efficient to improve quality of life of stroke patients, mainly Physical Functioning.