Spatiotemporal, kinematic and kinetic assessment of the effects of a foot drop stimulator for home-based rehabilitation of patients with chronic stroke: a randomized clinical trial.
Yu Rong Mao, Jiang Li Zhao, Min Jie Bian and 4 others
PMID 35672756WHAT IT FOUND
Adding a foot drop stimulator to home walking training improved gait speed and stride length more than conventional home exercises alone.
Both groups improved equally in clinical balance and lower limb motor function scores, so the device helped the mechanics of walking but not the overall clinical assessment.
Key findings
01The tPNS group showed significant improvements in walking speed, stride length, and double support time after 3 weeks, whereas the conventional therapy group did not show significant changes in these spatiotemporal parameters.
02Both groups improved their Fugl–Meyer Lower Extremity and Berg Balance scores, but there were no significant differences between the groups after the intervention.
03Kinematic analysis showed the tPNS group had significant improvements in ankle and foot progression angles in the transverse and frontal planes, which the conventional group did not achieve.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study had a small sample size (31 participants) and a short intervention duration (3 weeks), which may have limited the ability to detect differences in clinical outcomes or kinetic parameters. There was no follow-up period to assess whether the improvements in gait mechanics were sustained after the device was removed. Compliance with the home-based training protocol was monitored via video but not strictly controlled, and the staff could not verify the exact duration or effectiveness of the training performed by patients. The study did not measure electromyography or muscle strength directly, limiting the understanding of the physiological mechanisms behind the gait improvements.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China and the 5010 Planning Project of Sun Yat-Sen University. The tPNS device was provided by Shenzhen XFT Medical Limited.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the stimulator is superior to conventional therapy for overall rehabilitation. While it improved specific gait mechanics, both groups improved equally on the primary clinical measures of motor function and balance.