title: Restoration of gait in nonambulatory hemiparetic patients by treadmill training with partial body-weight support.
abstract: The effect of a treadmill training with partial body-weight support was investigated in nine nonambulatory hemiparetic patients with a mean poststroke interval of 129 days. They had received regular physiotherapy within a comprehensive stroke rehabilitation program at least 3 weeks before the treadmill training without marked improvement of their gait ability. After 25 additional treadmill training sessions scoring of functional performance and conventional gait analysis showed a definite improvement: gait ability, assessed by the Functional Ambulation Category (0 to 5) improved with a mean of 2.2 points, other motor functions, assessed by the Rivermead Motor Assessment Score with a mean of +3.9 points for gross function (range 0 to 13) and of +3.2 points for leg and trunk section (range 0 to 10)] and gait cycle parameters (p < .01). Muscle tone and strength of the paretic lower limb remained stable. We suggest that treadmill training with partial body-weight support could augment restoration of ambulation and other motor functions in hemiparetic patients by active and repetitive training.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Free University Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hesse
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bertelt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schaffrin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malezic
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Mauritz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology