Article

Individuals who have experienced a stroke need to (re)learn motor skills. Analogy
learning has been shown to facilitate motor learning in sports and may also be an
attractive alternative to traditional approaches in therapy. The aim of this
study was to assess the feasibility and utility of analogies to improve the
walking performance in long-term stroke survivors.
Three men aged 76, 87 and 70
years who were 6, 1 and 3 years poststroke, respectively, presented with
different walking deficits. An analogy, targeted at improving the walking
performance was designed with the help of each participant. During a 3-week
intervention period, the analogy was practiced once weekly under supervision and
daily at home. To assess feasibility, a structured interview was conducted at the
end of the intervention period. To assess utility, walking performance was
assessed using the 10-Metre Walking Test. All three participants were supportive
of the feasibility and benefits of analogy learning. Two of the participants had
a meaningful improvement on the 10-Metre Walking Test (0.1 and 0.3 m/s). The
third participant did not improve most likely because of medication issues during
the week of the retest. Developing analogies in therapy is a creative and
challenging process, as analogies must not only guide the correct movement
pattern, but also be meaningful to the individual. However, as participants were
supportive of the use of analogies, and positive trends were seen in walking
speed it seems worthwhile to pursue the use of analogies in future research.

Langue : ANGLAIS