The Effect of a Body-Weight Supported Treadmill Rehabilitation Program on Gait Symmetry Restoration in Patients with Various Neurological Conditions

Background: As neurological conditions are considered the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide, it is necessary to respond to their increased burden by introducing new medical technologies enabling safe, effective and time-saving rehabilitation.

Materials and methods: A total of 39 neurological patients from 3 indication groups (neuromuscular diseases and disorders, paresis after stroke and postoperative/post injury states of CNS and PNS) completed a treatment program involving six body-weight supported treadmill exercise sessions combined with conventional rehabilitation. Symmetry indexes of gait parameters (stance time, step length, step time, swing time, swing/stance time ratio and weight loading proportion) measured during the first and last session were statistically processed and evaluated.

Results: The asymmetry of all monitored gait parameters improved statistically significantly within the entire cohort of treated patients by 40%, 50%, 61%, 62%, 67% and 68% in terms of stance time, step length, step time, swing time, swing/stance time ratio and weight loading proportion, respectively. The comparison of the indication groups shows that post-stroke patients achieved the highest average improvement across all gait parameters.

Conclusion: The research was the first to prove the effectiveness of Body-Weight Supported Treadmill (BWST) therapy in restoring gait symmetry in neurological patients. Presented findings predispose BWST therapy to become an integral part of the gait retraining program already in the early phase of rehabilitation.

Author(s): Eldar Vinarov

Abstract | Full-Text | PDF

Share This Article