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821 - Current Advances in Wearable Electrostimulation Rehabilitation Devices: A Scoping Review

Thursday, February 27, 2025

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM MST

Presenting Author(s)

JC

Jason P. Caffrey, MD, PhD

Resident Physician
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States

Co-Author(s)

WJ

Won J. Jeong, MD

Resident Physician
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States
JD

Janet Del Rosario, MBBS

Assistant Professor, Physician
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States

Objectives: Electrostimulation, including Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) and Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES), has been employed in rehabilitation to support a range of functions. Recent advances in electronics and fabrication technologies have made it possible to develop wearable electrostimulation devices. This review aimed to evaluate the current state of such devices and their broad applications in rehabilitation, including motor augmentation, pain management, and overall functional recovery.

Design: We identified 334 original research articles (2000–2024) in MEDLINE using the search terms [“wearable” AND “electrical” AND “stimulation”]. Each article was manually reviewed for eligibility based on electrostimulation, non-invasive wearability, and rehabilitation applications (motor/sensory augmentation, spasticity, pain). Wearability was defined as having embedded electrodes or being standalone without external wires.

Results: Twenty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria, with the most common rehabilitation use being FES (N=17, 61%) for the lower extremity (N=11) and upper extremity (N=7), demonstrating improved gait symmetry and hand grasp. NMES (N=5, 18%) was primarily utilized to promote vessel blood flow (N=3), with increased femoral artery flow in spinal cord injury patients, and increased venous flow. Pain management applications (N=5, 18%) included fibromyalgia, peripheral neuropathy, and chronic low back pain, with studies demonstrating reduced pain. Over half (N=15, 54%) of studies developed custom wearable electrodes and the minority (N=8, 29%) of studies developed custom electrostimulation units. All studies found wearable devices generally safe and well-tolerated.

Conclusions: Wearable EMS devices may offer practical rehabilitation during daily activities, enhancing therapy outcomes. Interest is growing in these devices for motor function improvement, vascular flow, and chronic pain management. Continued research could broaden rehabilitation options beyond healthcare settings and facilitate more frequent and effective interventions.