NMES for gait retraining is commonly used to improve which movement?

• A. Ankle dorsiflexion
• B. Plantar flexion
• C. Hip abduction
• D. Knee extension

Answer: (A)

The key idea is using NMES to boost ankle dorsiflexion during the swing phase of gait. Stimulating the tibialis anterior helps lift the front of the foot as it moves forward, creating better toe clearance and reducing the risk of foot drop and tripping. This direct boost to dorsiflexion is why it's the best fit for gait retraining, since the most common gait impairment addressed with NMES in this context is insufficient foot clearance during swing.

Plantarflexion assistance could aid push-off during stance, but it doesn’t resolve the swing-phase clearance problem. Hip abduction and knee extension NMES don’t target the critical ankle dorsiflexion needed for foot clearance, so they’re less central to the typical gait-retraining goal.