Prevention of AD During FES Exercise

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a widely-used modality in the rehabilitation of individuals with SCI (Sampson et al. 2000; Wood et al. 2001). Similar to any non-noxious or noxious stimuli below the level of injury, FES itself may also lead to significant afferent stimulation and trigger the development of AD (Ashley et al. 1993; Matthews et al. 1997).

One RCT (n=7) assessed the effect of topical anaesthetic and placebo creams applied to the skin area over the quadriceps muscle 1 hour prior to FES on two different days (Matthews et al. 1997). As cardiovascular and AD responses during FES were unaffected by topical anaesthetic cream application at the stimulation site, the authors suggested that mechanisms other than skin nociception contributed to FES-induced AD.

Conclusion

There is level 1 evidence (from one RCT: Matthews et al. 1997) supporting no effect of topical anesthetic for the prevention of AD during FES.