The effect of functional electrical stimulation on balance function and balance confidence in community-dwelling individuals with stroke.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change in balance function and balance confidence in adults with chronic stroke who are starting a gait re-education program with functional electrical stimulation (FES).

Methods: The study used a before-after study design. Fifteen community-dwelling adults with chronic stroke completed four weekly sessions (2 hours each) of balance and ambulation training with FES applied to the ankle dorsiflexors during the swing phase.

Prospective comparison of subjective arousal during the pre-sleep period in primary sleep-onset insomnia and normal sleepers.

Psychophysiological insomnia (PI) is the most common insomnia subtype, representing 12-15% of all sleep centre referrals. Diagnostic guidelines describe PI as an intrinsic sleep disorder involving both hyperarousal and learned sleep-preventing associations. Whilst evidence for the first component is reasonably compelling, evidence for learned (conditioned) sleep effects is markedly lacking.