The Effects of Stair Walking Training on the Balance Ability of Chronic Stroke Patients

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of stair walking training on balance ability of chronic stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Forty stroke patients were allocated equally and randomly to an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group undertook 30 minutes of training therapy and 30 minutes of walking exercise on stairs with flat surfaces. The control group undertook 30 minutes went of training therapy and 30 minutes of walking exercise on a flat surface. All the participants had five training sessions each week for four weeks. A Biorescue system was used to measure the weight-bearing footprint, anterior length in the limit of stability, posterior length in the limit of stability, surface area ellipse of Romberg, and length of Romberg before and after the training. [Results] With regard to changes in the weight-bearing footprint, the anterior length in the limit of stability, and the posterior length in the limit of stability, there were significant differences on both the paretic and nonparetic sides, and there were also significant differences in the surface area ellipse of Romberg and length of Romberg after the intervention. [Conclusion] The experiment results showed that walking exercise on stairs is effective in enhancing balance performance. The same exercise can be applied to patients with other types of neurological disorders to improve their balance.

The effect of olfactory stimuli on the balance ability of stroke patients

“…Most of the research on quiet standing makes use of a kinetic measurement method in which the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral displacements of the COP are calculated on a force platform 11 ) . In general, evaluation of balance ability of stroke patients depends on the following four indices: mean COP velocity (velocity), area of the 95% confidence ellipse (area), average anterior-posterior displacement (Ymean), and average medial-lateral displacement (Xmean) 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ) .…”

Effects of Wearable Ankle Robotics for Stair and Over-ground Training on Sub-acute Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…The current study demonstrated that wearable robot-assisted training could even be implemented in simple stair environment as a feasible rehabilitation approach. Previous studies showed that mild stair training in chronic stroke could improve physical activity level [11], trunk stability and balance [10,12], walking speed and endurance [10,35]. The robot-assisted stair training described in the current study required only one skilled trainer walking alongside the stroke subjects for safety and verbal cueing, while the posture adjustment for foot drop correction could be handled automatically by the robot itself [32].…”

“…These gait training systems con ned the users in constant treadmill-like setting, but the real-world walking environment would involve varying terrains, like obstacles, slopes, and stairs. Some studies showed intensive stepping training on stairs and over-ground could improve walking speed and balance in sub-acute [10] and chronic stroke [11,12]. Early stroke rehabilitation on stair negotiation could potentially enhance gait reeducation for better outcome on gait independency at hospital discharge.…”

The Effect of the Improve of Posture by Tilt-table Stepping Robot Rehabilitation on Walking Ability in Cerebral Palsy.

“…This study measured the static pressure of the subject's feet to examine the weight distribution of the feet in a standing posture. 15) The evaluation of this study measured the foot pressure in a ten-second stand-up before and after intervention and measured the average value three times.…”