Deans' stroke musings: Exploring occupational therapists’ perceptions of the use of functional electrical stimulation in adult stroke rehabilitation

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Saturday, July 11, 2026

Exploring occupational therapists’ perceptions of the use of functional electrical stimulation in adult stroke rehabilitation

Who cares what therapists think? Survivors are the client; you ask them how well you as a therapist are providing EXACT recovery protocols! If you're willing to listen, they'll tell you you have NOTHING concrete for recovery!

Exploring occupational therapists’ perceptions of the use of functional electrical stimulation in adult stroke rehabilitation

Sarah Frew

Fiona Breytenbach

Abstract

Purpose: Stroke is one of the leading global causes of disability, with motor deficits, particularly in the upper limb, being among the most common and debilitating consequences. Occupational therapists are crucial members of the multidisciplinary team, working to enhance patients’ participation in daily activities by addressing motor impairments through interventions such as Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). However, an evidence-practice gap exists in the application of FES. This study aimed to explore occupational therapists’ perceptions of using FES in adult stroke rehabilitation in Gauteng, South Africa. This study employed a descriptive qualitative research design. Twelve occupational therapists participated in semi-structured interviews conducted via an online platform. The research population included clinicians working in the neurorehabilitation field in Gauteng, South Africa from both public and private healthcare sectors. An inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Three themes emerged from this qualitative study, namely, ‘A Tug of War’, ‘The Lost Leading the Lost’ and ‘A Puzzle of Practicality’. These themes unravel the perceptions of occupational therapists and explore the factors that influence the use of FES in stroke rehabilitation. Conclusion: Many identified perceptions and factors challenge the use of FES in adult stroke rehabilitation. Addressing these challenges is essential for improving evidence-based practices in occupational therapy, especially for motor impairments after stroke.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

Training on FES needs to be enhanced at an undergraduate and postgraduate level for improved application of the technology.Open-loop FES currently does not align with the complex movement patterns required for occupation-based intervention and is therefore best suited as a preparatory modality. Policy, protocol, and guideline development is needed for a unified approach to FES use in stroke rehabilitation. The commercial availability and access to closed-loop FES systems should be explored by rehabilitation technology manufacturers and sales representatives.