title: Does physiotherapy based on the Bobath concept, in conjunction with a task practice, achieve greater improvement in walking ability in people with stroke compared to physiotherapy focused on structured task practice alone?: a pilot randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the short-term effects of two physiotherapy approaches for improving ability to walk in different environments following stroke: (i) interventions based on the Bobath concept, in conjunction with task practice, compared to (ii) structured task practice alone.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two rehabilitation centres Participants: Twenty-six participants between four and 20 weeks post-stroke, able to walk with supervision indoors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Both groups received six one-hour physiotherapy sessions over a two-week period. One group received physiotherapy based on the Bobath concept, including one hour of structured task practice. The other group received six hours of structured task practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary outcome was an adapted six-minute walk test, incorporating a step, ramp and uneven surface. Secondary measures were gait velocity and the Berg Balance Scale. Measures were assessed before and after the intervention period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Following the intervention, there was no significant difference in improvement between the two groups for the adapted six-minute walk test (89.9 (standard deviation (SD) 73.1) m Bobath versus 41 (40.7) m task practice, P = 0.07). However, walking velocity showed significantly greater increases in the Bobath group (26.2 (SD 17.2) m/min versus 9.9 (SD = 12.9) m/min, P = 0.01). No significant differences between groups were recorded for the Berg Balance Scale (P = 0.2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot study indicates short-term benefit for using interventions based on the Bobath concept for improving walking velocity in people with stroke. A sample size of 32 participants per group is required for a definitive study.
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Unit, St Vincent's Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. kim.brock@svhm.org.au
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brock
authors.forename: Gerlinde
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Haase
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rothacher
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cotton
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D016138:Walking