title: How patients with stroke adjust their step length to step over obstacles.
abstract: Step adjustment under temporal constraint is compromised following stroke. However, how step adjustment occurs under no temporal constraint remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate how patients with stroke adjust their step length to step over obstacles under no temporal constraint. Twelve patients with stroke and 12 age-matched and sex-matched individuals without stroke participated in an experiment involving the task of stepping over obstacles. Each participant's steps were measured by a footprint method and classified as a long-step, short-step, or even-step strategy. The differences in step length adjustment between patients with and without stroke were analyzed. Stroke survivors adjusted their step length in different ways depending on whether they led with the affected or the unaffected limb. If patients with stroke stepped over the obstacle by leading with the affected limb, they chose the short-step strategy. This strategy is probably intended to enhance accuracy and maintain stability. In conclusion, patients with stroke utilize a different step adjustment strategy to individuals without stroke, even in the absence of temporal constraint.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Ibaraki bDepartment of Rehabilitation, Shizuoka City Shimizu Hospital, Shizuoka cDepartment of Physical Therapy, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan.
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Yukari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohashi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D004215:Distance Perception; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D009949:Orientation; D004856:Postural Balance; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013037:Spatial Behavior; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013998:Time Perception; D016474:Weight-Bearing