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 ?
Prospective, Blinded, Randomized Crossover Study of Gait Rehabilitation in Stroke Patients Using the Lokomat Gait Orthosis
Objective . Treadmill training with partial body weight support has been suggested as a useful strategy for gait rehabilitation after stroke . This prospect i ve , blinded , r and omized controlled study of gait retraining tested the feasibility and potential efficacy of using an electromechanical-driven gait orthosis ( Lokomat ) for treadmill training . Methods . Sixteen stroke patients , mostly within 3 months after onset , were r and omized into 2 treatment groups , ABA or BAB ( A = 3 weeks of Lokomat training , B = 3 weeks of conventional physical therapy ) for 9 weeks of treatment . The outcome measures were the EU-Walking Scale , Rivermead Motor Assessment Scale , 10-m timed walking speed , 6-minute timed walking distance , Motricity Index , Medical Research Council Scale of strength , and Ashworth Scale of tone . Results . The EU-Walking Scale , Rivermead Motor Assessment Scale , 6-minute timed walking distance , Medical Research Council Scale , and Ashworth Scale demonstrated significantly more improvement during the Lokomat training phase than during the conventional physical therapy phase within each 3-week interval . Conclusions . Despite the small number of patients , the present data suggest that the Lokomat robotic assistive device provides innovative possibilities for gait training in stroke rehabilitation while eliminating prolonged repetitive movements in a nonergonomic position on the part of the physical therapist
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 ?