Walking After Stroke: Interventions to restore normal gait pattern
Year: 2006
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability and inpatient rehabilitation admissions. \\nIn spite of many efforts, approximately 35% of stroke survivors with initial paralysis \\nof the leg do not regain useful walking function. Many (potential) impairments and \\nlimitations have caused a marked variation in gait patterns among stroke patients. \\nHemiparetic gait is characterized by slow and asymmetric steps with poor selective \\nmotor control, delayed and disrupted equilibrium reactions and reduced weight \\nbearing on the paretic limb. Although some general characteristics of hemiparetic \\ngait have been identified, individual differences are great, emphasizing the need for \\nindividual assessment to identify the problems and design therapeutic interventions \\nto address them. To provide a rationale for the proper selection of therapeutic \\ninterventions, we assessed the effectiveness of balance training, electrical \\nstimulation, arm sling and AFO to improve hemiparetic gait pattern after stroke. \\nTreatment outcome was evaluated by relevant clinical assessments together with \\ntime-distance, kinematic and kinetic gait characteristics measured by a quantitative \\nthree-dimensional gait analysis system. We concluded that task-specific \\ninterventions together with external feedback (balance training with force platform \\nfeedback) and orthosis, either enabling feedback or substituting a lost function or \\nboth (arm sling and AFO) are effective in improvement of postural control and gait \\nsymmetry in hemiparetic patients with stroke. However, impairment-focused \\ntherapies without any volitional participation of the patients (neuromuscular or \\nsomatosensory electrical stimulation) are not superior to a conventional stroke \\nrehabilitation program.
Author: Güneş Yavuzer
Language: English
Subfield: Rehabilitation
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1762385660