Utilizing Concepts of Neuroplasticity and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) in Rehabilitation of Patients with Upper Extremity Hemiplegia/Paralysis

This course is free for TNOTA members.

Utilizing Concepts of Neuroplasticity and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) in Rehabilitation of Patients with Upper Extremity Hemiplegia/Paralysis

Self Paced Online Course
$20 | 1 Contact Hour

This course is created by the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association.

If you need assistance or accommodations, please contact us at Info@AspireOT.us
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Unfortunately, existing therapies for recovering arm and hand function after stroke have limited success and often work only for patients who retain some ability to move. Recent therapeutic developments have utilized the phenomenon of neuroplasticity, the capability of the central nervous system to relearn how to perform different tasks that might have been severely impaired or impossible following a spinal cord injury or stroke. It is believed that the active attempt to move combined with the actual movement of the arm and/or hand produced by functional electrical stimulation and the sensory feedback produced by the movement engages portions of the nervous system relevant to the specific task, promoting neural changes that in turn result in recovering voluntary movement.

Review randomized controlled trials of conventional therapy paired with use of non-invasive FES demonstrating improvement of arm and hand function and active range of motion in patients with hemiplegia due to stroke or upper limb paralysis due to C3-T1 spinal cord injury.


Target Audience: Occupational therapist, occupational therapy assistants, occupational therapy students.

Presented by: 

Christy Aylies, PT

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Learning objectives
After this occupational therapy continuing education course, the learner will be able to:
  • Identify a principle of neuroplasticity.
  • Describe a key concept to neuronal plasticity for upper extremity function.
  • Identify two neural pathways involved in neuroplasticity.
Completion Requirements
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In order to receive the certificate of completion, participants must meet ALL of the following criteria:
  • Complete payment or TNOTA membership log in for course enrollment
  • View course videos in entirety
  • Pass the course exam with a score of 80% or greater
  • Complete the Post Course Evaluation
Please note that no credit or certificate will be issued unless all criteria is met.  Partial credit will not be issued.  
cancellation policy
Live Courses and Webinars
Learner cancellations: In the event that the learner requests to cancel or is unable to attend a course, a refund for the total paid for the course will be granted if Aspire OT is notified via email at info@aspireot.us within 10 business days prior to date of the scheduled course, minus a non-refundable registration fee of 25% of registration price.  If the learner provides notification of cancellation less then 10 business days prior to the scheduled course, the learner will be offered the opportunity to attend the same webinar on an alternate date or enrollment in the recorded on-demand version of that webinar, instead of a refund.  

No refunds will be issued after a course has been attended for more than 30 minutes.  Partial credit will not be issued.  

Provider cancellations: In the event of inclement weather or other event resulting in the inability for a live course to be provided within the scheduled time, learners will be offered an alternate date or a full refund for registration paid.
On-Demand web Courses 
Web courses will remain available to learners for 1 year. No refunds will be available for web courses that have been attended or viewed for greater than 30 minutes. In the event of a refund, the learner will be unenrolled in the course immediately upon issuance of a refund. No refunds will be issued for any course in which a certificate has been issued.  

Course Author

Logo for Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association with blue letters and graphic spell TNOTA
This occupational therapy continuing education course is being offered as part of Aspire OT's State Association Partnership Program. This course is free for TNOTA Members.