Article

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a short-burst dose of
intense gait training with body weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) on
walking speed, endurance, and quality of life of a participant with chronic
stroke. A single-subject experimental (A-B-A-A) design with immediate and 3-month
retention phases was used.
The participant was a 66-year-old woman, 1 year after
left cerebrovascular accident. Repeated baseline walking performance was
established during 2 weeks of testing using the comfortable 10-meter walk test
(CWT) and the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). The Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) was
measured one time during baseline. Baseline testing was followed by ten 30-minute
sessions of BWSTT over a 2-week duration. Retention testing was conducted
immediately and 3 months following the intervention. Statistically significant
improvements from baseline with the CWT and the 6MWT were achieved and maintained
by the participant across all subsequent measurement phases. Improvements
considered to be clinically meaningful changes in the SIS domains of strength and
mobility achieved immediately after the intervention were not maintained at
3-month retention testing.
For the participant in this study, the short-burst
dosage of BWSTT provided a feasible and effective means for improving goal-oriented functional walking ability.

Langue : ANGLAIS