ELECTRICAL STIMULATION:
MOLLII SUIT, THERAPEUTIC ELECTRICAL STIMULATION
General overview
Mollii suit
Mollii is a combination developed at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, by the company Inerventions. It consists of pants, a jacket and a detachable control unit. It allows children with cerebral palsy, dystonia, brain damage or head trauma to reduce spasticity, thanks to the 58 electrodes sewn into the suit, positioned to stimulate 40 key muscles throughout the body.
Therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES or FES)
Therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES): electrical impulses cause muscle contractions and help to develop muscle mass.
Functional Electric Stimulation (FES): FES helps the muscle contract to be in the right posture and can also help the person's central nervous system relearn how to perform altered functions (such as gripping, walking, standing).
Source: compilation of YouTube videos ( fair use ) - if you want to remove content contact us at contact@leneurogroupe.org
Main objectives of the method
Mollii suit
Through low-frequency electro-stimulation, Mollii soothes spasticity and tense and painful muscles. Electrical signals facilitate voluntary movements through relaxation. It prevents and combats different forms of muscle shortening and stiffness, helping the user to regain control of muscle tone, and can encourage muscle activation.
Mollii also helps to rebalance muscle tone, increase muscle mass and endurance.
Therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES or FES)
Different types of TES:
The goal is to increase blood flow, promote muscle growth, awaken paralyzed muscles to improve motor function.
Transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation (TENS): to reduce acute and chronic pain. The intensity of the electricity will be adjusted to block pain signals travelling from your body to your brain.
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES): electrical current to cause a single muscle or group of muscles to contract, which helps to improve the way the affected muscle contracts. Increases muscle function and promotes blood circulation to the area, which helps healing. NMES can also be used to help reduce muscle spasms by artificially fatiguing your muscles into spasms, allowing them to relax.
The idea is that after many repetitions, the nervous system can "relearn" the movement and eventually activate the muscles on its own, without the device.
Different types of FES:
For example, WalkAide: With an inclination sensor and an accelerometer, WalkAide helps the child lift the foot at the right time during the walking cycle, allowing for a more natural, effective and safe walk. There are several modes: tilt, exercise, heel...
People who try WalkAide report effects such as immediate improvement in walking ability, faster walking for longer distances and less fatigue, more mobility, functionality and overall independence
Specificities of the method
Mollii suit
Easy to use at home and in the clinic. One button for On/Off and one button for "On/Off/Pause". A simple press of the button activates the stimulation of the muscles, which is automatically carried out for a period of 60 minutes.
Use every other day, and must however be accompanied by rehabilitation, physiotherapy, or physical activity. The effect is individual and lasts up to 48 hours, and possibly longer.
Therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES or FES)
TES is performed by attaching the electrodes to the skin of certain muscles (during the day or when the child is sleeping). It usually takes three to six months to see the results.
FES is either used during rehabilitation sessions to improve motor skills during the session or in daily life to support walking and allow more fluid movement.
It is a complementary therapy, and not a substitute for more conventional treatments, especially for TES because it is a passive treatment that does not aim at functional improvement but at the development of muscle capacity.
TES
FES
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)
Who is this method for ?
Mollii suit
Children with spasticity and muscle tension resulting from cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, or other neurological disorders or nervous traumas. Also suitable for people with fibromyalgia.
Minimum height: 104 cm.
Therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES or FES)
Children with cerebral palsy, hemiplegia and hemiplegia, and in people with incomplete spinal cord injuries, acute and chronic pain and muscle spasms.
Contraindications: change in tissue sensation, weakened mental state, presence of an implanted electrical device (e-stim could interfere with implanted pacemakers or pain pacemakers...), on malignant tissue, on excessively moist wounds, near the eyes, carotid sinus, anterior neck or above the reproductive organs.
.jpg)
What parents say about it
Mollii suit
"Before, I couldn't sit with my back straight and my legs crossed. I couldn't turn my right hand. But now I can change everything. Mollii improves my balance and helps me walk much longer distances. I can stand much longer and do much more, like cooking! Thanks to Mollii, I no longer need botulinum toxin injections. I take a lot less pain medication and sometimes not even at all! It sounds like a new kind of freedom. I feel like a completely new person, in a way. Completely free! I can do whatever I want. And it's incredible. " - Lea, 10 years old, cerebral palsy
"All our children need a future and this simple combination, worn one hour a day, can change a life. I thank the people involved in the creation of MOLLII and the people who bring it to the world. " - mother of Chloé, 10 years old, global functional disability
Some parents also report that they have not had any results with this combination.
Flat: price (5400€). It is currently reimbursed by social security in Denmark and in one region of Sweden. For a possible refund in France, it will be necessary to wait until the tests carried out are conclusive.
Scientific references
Mollii suit
The results indicate an improvement in spasticity in the hamstrings and quadriceps (statistical analysis)
"The results of this study indicate that the Mollii® combination appears to affect the spasticity of treated muscles and have a positive effect on personalized therapeutic objectives related to function and mobility. »
Source: Study by Professor Christian Wong, Doctor of Pediatric Orthopaedics, Hvidovre Hospital, Denmark, The Mollii-suit® - A novel method using reciprocal inhibition on children with cerebral palsy, GFMCS IV-V. A 6 month prospective study.
Study on 30 children, for 6 months, 3-4 hours/week
https://www.neurotoxins.org/toxins/2019/posters/003.pdf
"The results show an improvement in gross motor skills and mobility in both groups, and that conventional physiotherapy is not more effective than the Interventions with Mollii method"
Source: Study by the Lithuanian University, by the professors Bakaniene I., UrbbonavicieneG., Janaviciute K. and Prasauskiene A., Effects of the Inerventions method on gross motor function in children with spastic cerebral palsy
Study on 16 children, 8 used Mollii and 8 received conventional physiotherapy, 3 weeks, Mollii : 3h/week
https://mollii.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Effects-of-the-Inerventions-method-on-gross-motor-function-in-children-with-spastic-cerebral-palsy.pdf
"All children reported some impact on their bodies and themselves and/or on some activities after using the suit. »
"However, the results are inconclusive and a larger study is needed to determine whether the combination is useful in the long term and whether it can affect the activity and participation in daily activities of children with spasticity. »
Source: A pilot study of children and parents experiences of the use of a new assistive device, the electro suit Mollii.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30945989
Others here: https://mollii.com/fr/clinical-studies/
Therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES or FES)
Some research shows that electrostimulation offers very few opportunities to improve functional outcomes, due to passivity: the child does nothing (or very little) while the treatment is being applied. However, learning the right movements is the most important thing.
Other research indicates that some types of stimulation may be useful.
Therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES)
Some controlled trials show subjective improvements with TES. One study found an improvement in the Global Motor Function Measurement (GMFM) score at one year, and a recent review of 12 studies found an improvement in muscle function and/or strength.
"Electrical stimulation can improve muscle mass and strength, spasticity, passive range of motion (PROM), upper limb function, walking speed and foot and ankle positioning while walking. The sitting posture and static/dynamic balance can be improved with the ES trunk musculature."
Source: Does therapeutic electrical stimulation improve function in children with disabilities? A comprehensive literature review, 2016 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27285801
"The results showed a significant increase in passive range of motion in children receiving electrical stimulation. Analysis of the approach to knee and ankle movements revealed little change. »
Source: The use of therapeutic electrical stimulation in the treatment of hemiplegic cerebral palsy 10 children, one hour per day for 35 days, compared to 10 matched controls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8050621
"Stimulation therapy significantly reduces disability and improves voluntary grasping beyond the effects of considerable conventional upper limb therapy in people with tetraplegia"
"Study participants who received stimulation therapy also experienced significant improvements in their independence and ability to perform daily activities such as dressing and eating.
"the authors of the study recommend that stimulation therapy should be part of the therapeutic process for people with incomplete spinal cord injuries whose manual function is impaired"
Source: Study published in the journal Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair by Toronto researchers, Dr. Popovic. 8 weeks, 24 patients, 9 of whom received, in addition to occupational therapy, one hour of electrical stimulation therapy per day. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-02-benefits-electrical-therapy-people-paralyzed.html
"This FES device has produced evidence of muscle plasticity dependent on
To know more about the topic
Combinaison Mollii
http://agirensemblecontrelimc.org/la-combinaison-mollii/
Stimulation électrique thérapeutique (TES ou FES)
https://www.verywellhealth.com/electrical-stimulation-2696122
Any remarks or comments ?
This work is based on a collaborative approach to sharing research and family experience.
If you have any comments, suggestions for modifications or corrections or clarifications to make, please let us know by email at contact@leneurogroupe.org