Mechanically assisted walking with body weight support is more effective than overground walking at increasing independent walking in non-ambulatory patients early after stroke .
QUESTION Does mechanically assisted walking with body weight support result in more independent walking and is it detrimental to walking speed or capacity in non-ambulatory patients early after stroke ?
How feasible is the attainment of community ambulation after stroke? A pilot randomized controlled trial to evaluate community-based physiotherapy in subacute stroke
Objective : This pilot r and omized controlled trial evaluated an assistant-led , community-based intervention to improve community mobility and participation after stroke , and examined the potential for independent community ambulation in people with subacute stroke who present with moderate gait deficit . Design : A multicentre , pilot r and omized controlled trial . Setting : Three hospitals and three community setting s in New Zeal and . Subjects : Thirty post-acute , home-dwelling stroke survivors were r and omly allocated to receive intervention in the community ( n = 14 ) or as hospital out patients ( n = 16 ) twice a week for seven weeks . Interventions : The community intervention involved practice of functional gait activities in community environments relevant to each participant . Hospital-based physiotherapy was based upon a Motor Relearning approach . Main measures : The primary outcome measure was gait speed ( m/min ) . Secondary outcomes included endurance ( six-minute walk time ) , Activities-specific Confidence Balance Scale , and the Subjective Index of Physical and Social Outcomes measured at baseline , post intervention and six months . Results : Large gains in gait speed were obtained for participants in both groups : community group mean ( SD ) 16 ( 16.1 ) m/min ; physiotherapy group mean ( SD ) 15.9 ( 16.1 ) m/min , maintained at six months . There were no significant differences between groups for primary and secondary outcomes after treatment ( P = 0.86 ANOVA ) or at six months ( P = 0.83 ANOVA ) . Only 11 participants reported independent community ambulation . Levels of social integration were low to moderate . Conclusions : A community-based gait recovery programme appears a practicable alternative to routine physiotherapy , however independent community ambulation is a challenging rehabilitation goal
Mechanically assisted walking with body weight support is more effective than overground walking at increasing independent walking in non-ambulatory patients early after stroke .
QUESTION Does mechanically assisted walking with body weight support result in more independent walking and is it detrimental to walking speed or capacity in non-ambulatory patients early after stroke ?