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Repeated split-belt treadmill walking improved gait ability in individuals with chronic stroke: A pilot study.

Physiotherapy theory and practice
February 1, 2018
Martina Betschart et al. (3 authors)
Clinical TrialJournal ArticleHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether repeated split-belt treadmill walking could improve gait symmetry and speed in individuals poststroke.

Results Summary

After six training sessions, participants showed significant reductions in step length asymmetry and increased walking speed, with improvements retained over one month. No changes were observed in endurance.

Population

Twelve individuals with a first unilateral cerebral stroke (10 males; mean age 53; mean time poststroke 25 months).

Effective Dosage

Six training sessions over 2-3 weeks.

Duration

2-3 weeks.

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (3)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
repeated split-belt treadmill (SBT) walking
decrease
step length (SL) asymmetry
individuals poststroke
from an average ratio of 1.39 to 1.17
reduced
#1
repeated split-belt treadmill (SBT) walking
increase
walking speed
individuals poststroke
-
increased
#2
repeated split-belt treadmill (SBT) walking
no change
endurance
individuals poststroke
-
no effect was observed
#3
Abstract

This study investigated the effects of repeated split-belt treadmill (SBT) walking on gait ability in individuals poststroke. Twelve individuals with a first unilateral cerebral stroke (10 males; mean age 53 (SD 8.74); mean time poststroke 25 months (SD 23.5); 9 left-sided stroke) and initial step length (SL) asymmetry (ratio = 1.10-2.05) volunteered for the study. They were trained by physiotherapists from an outpatient rehabilitation center six times over 2-3 weeks using a SBT protocol. After only six sessions of training, all participants reduced their SL asymmetry from an average ratio of 1.39 to 1.17 (p = 0.002) and increased walking speed (p = 0.043). Improvements in symmetry and speed were retained over 1 month (p ≤ 0.008). No effect was observed in participants' endurance, assessed with the 6-min walk test. These findings suggest that the present SBT protocol has potential to be an efficient intervention to improve not only SL symmetry but also gait speed, in individuals poststroke.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdultAgedChronic DiseaseGaitHumansMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsStrokeStroke Rehabilitation
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations25
Citations/Year3.6
Relative Citation Ratio1.93
NIH Percentile73.4%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score2.08
Normalized Score0.69
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