〔Abstract〕 Objectives To investigate the effect of sciatic nerve electrical stimulation(SNES) on motor function recovery in rats with incomplete spinal cord injury(SCI) and its possible mechanism. Methods The incomplete SCI model was constructed by modified Allen′s method. Forty-five Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups: Sham, SCI, and SNES. Electrical stimulation parameters were 1 ms pulse width and 100 Hz, with 20 mins each time, once a day for 21 days. The motor function was assessed by Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan(BBB) locomotor function scale, and the action potential conduction was detected by electrophysiology. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe the pathological changes in the spinal cord and the average cross-sectional area(CSA) of biceps femoris muscle fibers. The number of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) and tropomyosin-related kinase B(TrkB) positive cells, relative mRNA and protein expression were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT PCR) and Western blot separately. Results On 21 d, the BBB score and average amplitude of action potential of SNES group were higher than those of SCI group, and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). Compared with SCI group, the pathological injury of spinal cord tissue in SNES group was significantly improved, and the average CSA of biceps femoris muscles had a statistical difference(P<0.05). The number of BDNF and TrkB positive cells in SNES group was higher than that in SCI group, and there were statistical differences(P<0.05). The relative mRNA and protein expressions of BDNF and TrkB in SNES group were higher than those in SCI group, with statistical differences(P<0.05). Conclusion These results show that SNES contributes to alleviating spinal cord tissue injury, promoting the recovery of motor function and delaying the atrophy of muscles below the injury level. The possible mechanism is related to the increased expression of BDNF-TrkB proteins.