Evaluation of Techniques Used to Estimate the Effect of Gait Training on the Rehabilitation of Gait Pattern in Hemiplegic Stroke Patients /
Sidra Tariq
- 45p. Soft Copy 30cm
Many stroke survivors usually suffer from hemiplegia as stroke is considered to be the leading cause of disability in long term. Hemiplegia is associated with deformities and gait disturbances, which may cause difficulty in walking and there is an increased risk of falls. While many studies have shown that ankle foot orthosis (AFO) is usually frequently prescribed to correct deformities and it improves gait speed in hemiplegic stroke patients but the effect of combination therapy which consists of balance exercises and AFO remains unclear. This study aimed to analyze the effects combination therapy consisting of balance exercises and orthotic treatment on gait parameters. RCT was conducted on thirty two 32 chronic stroke patients (n=32; age from 40-60 years; duration of stroke: 12-18 weeks). The patients were divided into two groups i.e. control group and experimental group. Each subject in the control group received balance exercises for 4 weeks and each patient in the experimental group received combination therapy consisting of balance exercises for hemiplegic lower limb and gait training was done with rigid ankle foot orthosis (AFO) for 4 weeks. The Activities Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) and the 10 Meter Walk Test as a measure of functional ambulation were evaluated before and after the combination therapy. Results showed that there was a marked improvement in the findings of Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test, 10m Walk Test after the intervention in the experimental group. Combination therapy which consisted of balance exercises and orthotic treatment is therefore more effective than the balance exercises alone in the improvement of gait of hemiplegic stroke patients.