Relationship between walking ability of patients with stroke and effect of body weight-supported treadmill training.
Hikaru Mori, Makoto Tamari, Hitoshi Maruyama
PMID 32184534WHAT IT FOUND
For people walking independently after stroke, a body weight-supported treadmill training session did not improve speed, steps, rate, symmetry, or sway at any unloading level tested.
Higher unloading showed links between baseline walking ability and immediate changes.
Key findings
01The study reported no significant change in walking speed, number of steps, walking rate, single-leg support time ratio, or sway before and after body weight-supported treadmill training at 0%, 20%, or 40% unloading.
02At 20% and 40% unloading, baseline flat-ground walking ability was related to immediate effects on single-leg support time.
03At 40% unloading, baseline trunk sway was related to immediate sway after the trial in all directions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 17 people. Participants all had independent walking, so the results may not apply to people who cannot walk independently. The study used a cross-sectional methodology, so it could not analyze factors related to the effect of body weight-supported treadmill training. The outcomes were immediate effects after each condition, not long-term training effects.
Declared interests
The paper states that no funding sources need disclosing and that there are no conflicts of interest to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that body weight-supported treadmill training improves walking after stroke. The direct before and after walking measures did not improve at any tested unloading level, and the relationships with baseline ability were immediate correlations in a small cross-sectional study.