Article

OBJECTIVE: To examine the short-term effects of a newly developed hemiparetic
gait training in which patients walk with a prosthesis applied to the nonparetic
leg in the flexed knee position. Pre-post nonrandomized controlled trial.
SETTING: Rehabilitation center and gait laboratory of a university hospital.
PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling ambulatory volunteers (N=22) with chronic
hemiparesis caused by a unilateral stroke. INTERVENTION: Study subjects
participated in a gait training program using either a below-knee prosthesis or a
treadmill. Treadmill gait training was performed at a speed approximating the
maximum gait velocity for each patient. The 3-week program consisted of a
5-minute gait training session 2 to 3 times a day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The
ground reaction forces, stance time, step length and cadence during walking at a
comfortable speed, and maximum gait speed, as well as the Berg Balance Score,
were estimated before and after each training program. RESULTS: In comparison
with changes after the treadmill gait training, analyses of covariance
demonstrated a significant increase of the fore-aft ground reaction forces during
the paretic propulsion phase and a significant increase in the relative durations
of the paretic and nonparetic single stance involved in a gait cycle after the
prosthetic gait training (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: Prosthetic gait training would
have different effects on a hemiparetic gait than treadmill gait training. The
gait-related task inducing the dominant use of the paretic leg to support the
body may be useful as a rehabilitative treatment to improve the kinetic abilities
in the paretic stance period.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS