Effects of circular gait training on balance, balance confidence in patients with stroke: a pilot study.

Only 15 participants were studied, with 8 in the circular group and 7 in the straight group, so the result is preliminary. Training lasted only two weeks, and the paper reports pre-training and post-training measurements only, so it does not show whether effects last beyond two weeks. The paper does not report whether participants, trainers, or outcome assessors were blinded. Participants had to walk 10 m independently, with or without an assistive device or person, and have a Mini-Mental Status Examination score above 24, so the findings may not apply to people with more severe walking or cognitive problems. The study compared circular track training with straight track training, not either with usual care alone, so it cannot show that either training is better than no gait training. The only between-group difference was on Timed Up and Go; Berg Balance Scale and Activities-specific Balance Confidence did not differ between groups. The paper does not measure leg and trunk muscle or neurological changes, so the mechanism is unclear.

The paper was supported by the fund of Sahmyook University in 2017. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to authorship and/or publication.

Do not conclude that circular gait training is clearly better than straight gait training for balance or confidence. Both groups improved, and only the Timed Up and Go test showed a between-group difference; Berg Balance Scale and Activities-specific Balance Confidence did not.