Gait deficits appear commonly as a consequence of stroke, they concern a large proportion of the stroke population and are therefore, an important aspect of the post-stroke rehabilitation. Functional Electrical Therapy (FET) that combines intensive voluntary exercising with synchronized functional electrical stimulation of the involved paretic muscles has been of benefit for the recovery of different functions in the acute post-stroke phase. This seminar will focus on a type of FET, namely Reflex-based therapy. This method is based on the combination of gait training with the electrical activation of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex. The basic neurophysiological principles behind this technique, the evidence collected in diverse experimental and clinical setups, and the related engineering developments will be presented.

Erika Spaich is an Associate Professor, at the Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Denmark. Her research area of interest is in the field of rehabilitation technologies used for supporting re-learning of lost motor functions after brain injury; particularly gait and postural control. Furthermore, she has interest on understanding the mechanisms that result on sensory-motor impairments and recovery after injury. Her current research topics include: functional electrical stimulation and therapy, characterization and use of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex to support gait training of stroke patients, and basic sensory-motor physiology.
She has ample experience with research work involving healthy individuals and stroke patients. She has performed many experimental studies in laboratory facilities at Aalborg University, while the clinical work has been carried out in Neurorehabilitation Centers. She has also been involved on the design and development of various functional electrical stimulation systems to support the rehabilitation of the hemiparetic gait and grasping of tetraplegic patients.