Neuro-Muscular Electrical Stimulation Therapy
I'm super excited to be able to offer Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) or Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) at this clinic.
It is a painless and really promising tool that we can use in adjunct to your usual therapy to provide further sensory and motor input into targeted weak muscles. The current research has shown strong evidence to support its use, especially improving gross motor function, muscle strength, and walking postures in children with spastic cerebral palsy.
I have had some exciting results working with it too and believe it is a tool that is going to be more and more available in the future.
We use a small handheld device (looks similar to a TENS machine) as pictured above, that can generate a small electrical current directed through electrodes that are placed on the skin to target specific muscles. The main aim of NMES is to stimulate or relax a target muscle, increase sensory awareness and/or correct the timing of poorly functioning muscles. NMES should not hurt, but it should feel ‘tingly’ and a muscle could ‘twitch’ in response to this stimulus.
It is a non-invasive treatment that can be hugely beneficial if used under clinical supervision. Talk to Jenny further to discuss whether this is a tool that could benefit your child's treatment.
