How functional electrical stimulation (FES) has Stimulated my Life

In 2013 I was stuck from the side by an automobile while riding my bicycle to work one morning. This accident left me C5-C6 incomplete tetraplegic. My scientific background lead me to read the Scientific literature describing the use of functional electrical stimulation for exercise and rehabilitation while I was confined to a hospital bed for over a year.

Upon reaching out to the FES community I was able to build a competitive FES tricycle which we used in the last two Cybathlon events. We also initiated and association named Advanced Neuro-rehabilitation Therapies and Sport, ANTS (https://ants-asso.com/).

Our primary activity is to offer state-of-the-art FES exercise machines in the first ever SportsCenter (S.P.O.R.T - Stimulating People and Organizing Recreational Therapies) in France that is dedicated to motor handicapped individuals. Although advances in the field have been numerous over the last decade, there exists important obstacles that limit FES usage. First and foremost is the cost of stimulator's. Moreover, new stimulation protocols are required to overcome fast muscle fatigue and power output.

Lastly, systems that are simple to use and do not require a team of experts to be used is needed for orthotic devices that can be used for activities of daily life (ADL). Once these limits have been overcome, this technology has the potential to significantly improve the health and well-being of motor handicap people throughout the world.