Using painful sensory stimulation to improve the hemiparetic gait

Abstract

The nociceptive withdrawal reflex elicited by painful sensory stimulation of the sole of the foot has been shown to produce responses that can support the initiation and development of the swing phase in both healthy and stroke individuals. Using this stimulation modality might have a great impact on the rehabilitation of the hemiparetic gait. The principles behind this method and its use in the clinical setup will be presented.