OBJECTIVE: To compare body weight-supported exercise on a gait trainer with walking exercise overground. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-five ambulatory patients with chronic stroke. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to 3 groups: (1) gait trainer exercise with functional electric stimulation (GTstim), (2) gait trainer exercise without stimulation (GT), and (3) walking overground (WALK). All patients practiced gait for 15 sessions during 3 weeks (each session, 20 min), and they received additional physiotherapy 55 minutes daily. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ten-meter walk test (10MWT), six-minute walk test (6MWT), lower-limb spasticity and muscle force, postural sway tests, Modified Motor Assessment Scale (MMAS), andFIM instrument scores were recorded before, during, and after the rehabilitation and at 6 months follow-up. RESULTS: The mean walking distance using the gait trainer was 6900+/-1200 m in the GTstim group and 6500+/-1700 m in GT group. In the WALK group, the distance was 4800+/-2800 m, which was less than the walking distance obtained in the GTstim group (P=.027). The body-weight support was individually reduced from 30% to 9% of the body weight over the course of the program. In the pooled 45 patients, the 10MWT (P<.001), 6MWT (P<.001), MMAS (P<.001), dynamic balance test time (P<.001), and test trip (P=.005) scores improved; however, no differences were found between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both the body weight-supported training and walking exercise training programs resulted in faster gait after the intensive rehabilitation program. Patients' motor performance remained improved at the follow-up.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To compare body weight-supported exercise on a gait trainer with walking exercise overground. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-five ambulatory patients with chronic stroke. INTERVENTIONS:Patients were randomized to 3 groups: (1) gait trainer exercise with functional electric stimulation (GTstim), (2) gait trainer exercise without stimulation (GT), and (3) walking overground (WALK). All patients practiced gait for 15 sessions during 3 weeks (each session, 20 min), and they received additional physiotherapy 55 minutes daily. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ten-meter walk test (10MWT), six-minute walk test (6MWT), lower-limb spasticity and muscle force, postural sway tests, Modified Motor Assessment Scale (MMAS), and FIM instrument scores were recorded before, during, and after the rehabilitation and at 6 months follow-up. RESULTS: The mean walking distance using the gait trainer was 6900+/-1200 m in the GTstim group and 6500+/-1700 m in GT group. In the WALK group, the distance was 4800+/-2800 m, which was less than the walking distance obtained in the GTstim group (P=.027). The body-weight support was individually reduced from 30% to 9% of the body weight over the course of the program. In the pooled 45 patients, the 10MWT (P<.001), 6MWT (P<.001), MMAS (P<.001), dynamic balance test time (P<.001), and test trip (P=.005) scores improved; however, no differences were found between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both the body weight-supported training and walking exercise training programs resulted in faster gait after the intensive rehabilitation program. Patients' motor performance remained improved at the follow-up.
Authors: Natalia Alexeeva; Carol Sames; Patrick L Jacobs; Lori Hobday; Marcello M Distasio; Sarah A Mitchell; Blair Calancie Journal: J Spinal Cord Med Date: 2011 Impact factor: 1.985
Authors: Catarina O Sousa; José A Barela; Christiane L Prado-Medeiros; Tania F Salvini; Ana M F Barela Journal: J Neuroeng Rehabil Date: 2011-08-24 Impact factor: 4.262
Authors: David H Saunders; Mark Sanderson; Sara Hayes; Maeve Kilrane; Carolyn A Greig; Miriam Brazzelli; Gillian E Mead Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2016-03-24