title: Feasibility and effects of newly developed balance control trainer for mobility and balance in chronic stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the feasibility and effects of balance training with a newly developed Balance Control Trainer (BCT) that applied the concept of vertical movement for the improvements of mobility and balance in chronic stroke patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty chronic stroke patients were randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group. The experimental group (n=20) underwent training with a BCT for 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks, in addition to concurrent conventional physical therapy. The control group (n=20) underwent only conventional therapy for 4 weeks. All participants were assessed by: the Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC), 10-meter Walking Test (10mWT), Timed Up and Go test (TUG), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Korean Modified Barthel Index (MBI), and Manual Muscle Test (MMT) before training, and at 2 and 4 weeks of training.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were statistically significant improvements in all parameters except knee extensor power at 2 weeks of treatment, and in all parameters except MBI which showed further statistically significant progress in the experimental group over the next two weeks (p<0.05). Statistically significant improvements on all measurements were observed in the experimental group after 4 weeks total. Comparing the two groups at 2 and 4 weeks of training respectively, 10mWT, TUG, and BBS showed statistically more significant improvements in the experimental group (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Balance training with a newly developed BCT is feasible and may be an effective tool to improve balance and gait in ambulatory chronic stroke patients. Furthermore, it may provide additional benefits when used in conjunction with conventional therapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Kyung-pook National University College of Medicine, Daegu 700-721, Korea.
authors.forename: So Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seung Deuk
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Byun
authors.forename: Chul Hyun
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Go
authors.forename: Hyeon Uk
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Jin Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.forename: Tae Du
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Jung