This study aimed to investigate the effects of gait training with upper limb task on balance and gait in stroke patients.
The participants in this study consisted of 32 patients diagnosed with stroke who satisfied the eligibility criteria for the st...
This study aimed to investigate the effects of gait training with upper limb task on balance and gait in stroke patients.
The participants in this study consisted of 32 patients diagnosed with stroke who satisfied the eligibility criteria for the study. The participants were allocated to the experimental or control group 16 each by block randomization. Training with Upper Limb Task was applied to the experimental group was applied to the experimental group, while regular gait training was applied to the control group. The training consisted of three 30-minute sessions per week for a total of eight weeks. During the study, one participant each from the experimental and control groups dropped out. Consequently, 30 participants completed the study.
To measure the dependent variables according to the study intervention, postural stability, balance, and gait were assessed. A balance gear was used to measure postural sway for postural stability. The measurements included hard surface, foam surface, and other tests in standing position. The Berg balance scale(BBS) and Timed up and go test(TUG) were used to measure balance. Moreover, a gait analyzer(Kinesis Gait) was used for gait assessment.
Statistical analysis of the measured values was performed using SPSS(ver. 18.0). Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze the within-groups difference between pre- and post-intervention, while the Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the within-group difference between pre- and post-intervention. The statistical significance level was set at .05.
The study results were as follows.
First, change in the postural stability assessment results were as follows:
① In the hard surface test, both the experimental and control groups showed a significant decrease in left-to-right sway angle, front-to-back sway angle, and rotational angle between pre- and post-intervention (p<.01). In the between-groups comparison, the experimental group exhibited a significant decrease in left-to-right sway angle (p<.05), front-to-back sway angle, and rotational angle (p<.01), as compared to the control group.
② In the foam surface condition, both groups demonstrated significant reductions in left-to-right sway angle, front-to-back sway angle, and rotational angle from pre- to post-intervention (p<.01). In between-group comparisons, the experimental group exhibited a significantly greater reduction in front-to-back sway angle compared to the control group (p<.05).
③ In the visual deprivation on a hard surface condition, the experimental group showed significant reductions in left-to-right sway angle, front-to-back sway angle, and rotational angle from pre- to post-intervention (p<.01). The control group also exhibited significant reductions in left-to-right sway angle and front-to-back sway angle from pre- to post-intervention (p<.01). There were no significant differences between the groups (p>.05)
Second, changes in balance parameters were as follows:
In the BBS, both the experimental and control groups showed significant increases pre- to post-intervention (p<.01) in static balance and dynamic balance. In between-group comparisons, the experimental group exhibited a significant increase in dynamic balance compared to the control group (p<.05).
In the TUG, both the experimental group (p<.01) and the control group (p<.001) showed significant decreases pre- to post-intervention. In between-group comparisons, the experimental group showed a significant decrease compared to the control group (p<.01).
Third, changes in gait parameters were as follows:
In within-group comparisons from pre- to post-intervention, the experimental group exhibited significant increases in gait speed (p<.01), cadence (p<.01), stride length (p<.05), paretic side step length (p<.001), and non-paretic side step length (p<.001), as well as a significant decrease in the symmetry index (p<.05). The control group also demonstrated significant increases in gait speed (p<.05), cadence (p<.05), stride length (p<.05), paretic side step length (p<.001), and non-paretic side step length (p<.001). In between-group comparisons, the experimental group showed significant increases compared to the control group in gait speed (p<.01), cadence (p<.01), paretic side step length (p<.000), and non-paretic side step length (p<.01).
Fourth, correlation analysis between dependent variables was as follows:
In postural stability assessment, the anteroposterior sway angle showed a positive correlation with the rotational angle (r=.556). The rotational angle was positively correlated with TUG (r=.633) and the symmetry index (r=.579), and negatively correlated with gait speed (r=-.630), stride length (r=-.642), paretic side step length (r=-.699), and non-paretic side step length (r=-.591).
In balance assessment, BBS showed a negative correlation with TUG (r=-.669). TUG was negatively correlated with gait speed (r=-.668), cadence (r=-.523), stride length (r=-.687), paretic side step length (r=-.648), and non-paretic side step length (r=-.720).
In gait assessment, gait speed was strongly positively correlated with cadence (r=.914), stride length (r=.963), paretic side step length (r=.956), and non-paretic side step length (r=.948). Cadence was strongly positively correlated with stride length (r=.826), paretic side step length (r=.825), and non-paretic side step length (r=.809). Stride length was positively correlated with paretic side step length (r=.986) and non-paretic side step length (r=.972), and negatively correlated with the symmetry index (r=-.519). Paretic side step length was strongly positively correlated with non-paretic side step length (r=.948) and negatively correlated with the symmetry index (r=-.614).
This study demonstrated significant effects of gait training with upper limb task, including improvements in postural stability, balance, and gait abilities in patients with hemiplegia due to stroke. The results suggest that gait training with upper limb task enhances overall postural stability and improves balance ability. Therefore, the gait training with upper limb task proposed in this study is confirmed as an effective approach in physical therapy for stroke patients.
Key words: Balance, Gait, Postural control, Stroke, Upper Limb Task