A pioneer in the field of rehabilitation, the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute helps patients regain as much physical and cognitive function as possible so that they can get back to the things that matter to them. And, as one of only 18 federally designated Spinal Cord Injury Model System Centers in the nation, the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute is leading the way to restore function, social participation, and quality of life for people with significant spinal cord injuries.
Founded in 1953, the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute has yet again been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best in the nation for the care of patients recovering from complex conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury and traumatic spinal cord injury.
One of the rehabilitation research topics MetroHealth focuses on is called functional electrical stimulation, or FES. FES applies small electrical pulses to paralyzed muscles to restore or improve function. Electrical impulses stimulate the muscle to produce its usual movement, helping to assist with breathing, grasping, transferring, standing and walking. FES devices can be implanted to permanently replace lost functions, which means movement is restored in ways that were previously impossible. MetroHealth continues to use FES research to find new ways to use the technology.
