Facilitation of motor adaptation using multiple gait rehabilitation interventions.
Adila Hoque, Seok Hun Kim, Kyle B Reed
PMID 39450279WHAT IT FOUND
In ten healthy walkers, the order of split-belt treadmill and asymmetric rhythmic auditory cues changed step-length adaptation.
It was not tested in stroke.
Key findings
01The fast step-length adaptation rate to split-belt treadmill differed when split-belt treadmill followed asymmetric rhythmic auditory cueing.
02The fast step-time adaptation rate to split-belt treadmill did not show a significant difference when split-belt treadmill followed asymmetric rhythmic auditory cueing.
03When perturbations were removed, return rates for step length and step time did not show a significant difference among trial types.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only ten healthy adults were analysed after four did not meet criteria, two stopped, and one was removed, so the result is from a small lab sample. The study did not test people with stroke or other gait problems, although it discusses them, so it does not show effects in patients. Researchers assumed split-belt treadmill mainly used proprioceptive adaptation and rhythmic cueing mainly used instructional adaptation, and this assumption affected the modelling. Some participants may not have complied with rhythmic cues, and the model was sensitive to small changes in gait asymmetry. The reported adaptation rates came from curve-fitting models, so they depend on the model chosen.
Declared interests
The work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number IIS-1910434.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that a split-belt treadmill and cueing sequence improves walking in stroke. The study analysed ten healthy adults, not patients, and measured treadmill adaptation rates.