Article

Attentional loadings have significant impacts on turning performance
in individuals with stroke. Improper gait modification before turning may
contribute to falls after stroke. Therefore, examination of the changes in
temporal-spatial gait parameters before turning may reveal important deficits in
gait control when stroke survivors are challenged by dual-tasking. OBJECTIVE: To
compare the effects of 3 attentional loading conditions on spatial-temporal gait
parameters before turning between stroke survivors and healthy control subjects.
DESIGN: Case-control study design. SETTING: University motion analysis
laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Ten chronic stroke survivors (mean age = 49 +/- 9
years) and 10 healthy control subjects (mean age = 53 +/- 5 years) were included.
METHODS: Spatial-temporal gait parameters were obtained by the use of a
motion-capture system while participants performed the Timed-Up and Go (TUG) test
under 3 attentional loading conditions: single, dual-motor, and dual-cognitive
task conditions. A repeated-measure analysis of variance was used to analyze the
data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured gait speed, stride length, and stride
time during the straight walking phase (one gait cycle before turn) of the TUG
test. RESULTS: We found that attentional loadings had a differential effect on
gait speed measured for both groups (P = .001). The dual-motor and dual-cognitive
task conditions led to a slower gait speed compared with the single-task
condition in stroke survivors (both P = .02). However, in the TUG scores of
healthy control subjects, only the dual-cognitive condition led to a
significantly reduced gait speed compared with the single task condition (P =
.001) and dual motor condition (P = .01). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated
that attentional loadings resulted in a greater deterioration of gait performance
before turning in stroke survivors compared with healthy control subjects.
Particularly, temporal gait parameter was more vulnerable to dual-task
interference than the spatial gait parameter.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS