Drop foot sufferers walk faster and better with implanted nerve stimulator

[Guest guest]

Medical News Today 16 Feb 2005

An implanted nerve stimulator helps drop foot sufferers walk faster and better

The partners in EUREKA project E! 2526 IMPULSE have developed an implanted nerve

stimulator which helps patients with drop foot to walk much better. Over 500,000

people suffer from a stroke each year in Europe and 10% of stroke victims are

left with drop foot, which causes severe walking problems.

Drop foot is a chronic condition, often caused by a stroke which is

characterised by the inability to raise the foot during the swing phase of

walking. People affected tend to have a laboured and unsafe gait, and suffer

from fatigue which further reduces their speed and the distance they can walk.

The current approaches for dropped foot correction have significant drawbacks.

" Either the ankle joint is fixed by a brace, or electrical stimulation is

applied to a nerve in the leg through electrodes attached to the skin surface.

The electrodes must be placed accurately, which is difficult, painful and time

consuming, " says Professor Dr Hermie Hermens, cluster manager at the Dutch lead

partner, Roessingh Research and Development BV.

" The new system, in contrast to the surface stimulators, has an implanted

component that is directly attached to the appropriate nerves, eliminating the

problems of electrode placement. Also, the electrical stimulation is not painful

as the stimulation current does not pass across the skin, " explains Hermens.

The project used technology developed by the UK project partner, FineTech

Medical, through its work on bladder stimulation. The device is implanted during

surgery and produces the dual, balanced signals required to produce the correct

walking action.

A clinical trial is currently testing the device and patients' reactions to it.

Feedback is excellent - patients are able to walk better, faster and further,

with a more normal gait.

Although the device is a world first and is expected to generate a market of

30,000 units a year, the partners first have to explain the benefits to patients

and demonstrate the surgical procedure to clinicians.

" We are working with surgical teams to promote the benefits of the system, but

the market is limited while we train surgeons to implant the new devices, " says

Spensley, Finetech's General Manager.

Only EUREKA could have made this research possible. " EUREKA is essential for

this type of work. The necessary expertise does not exist in one single country,

so European partnership was needed, " says Hermens.

[Guest guest]

Oh My, This sounds fabulous. Any idea of when this may be offered to us in the

United States!

Jackie **** Jackie, yes, I thought this sounded great too. Hard to say when

EUREKA will be marketed in the USA. More research needs to be done and the

device proven, plus FDA approved. ~ Gretchen