PURPOSE To examine the immediate effect of symmetrical weight bearing (SWB) on temporal events of gait initiation (GI) patterns and timing and amplitude of lower distal limb muscles activity during GI in persons with hemiparesis. METHOD The study was a within-subjects design. Twelve persons with hemiparesis were recruited from the Veterans Affairs Brain Rehabilitation Research Center at the M...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy of supervised high-intensity progressive resistance training (PRT) on lower extremity strength, function, and disability in older, long-term stroke survivors. METHODS Forty-two volunteers aged 50 years and above, 6 months to 6 years after a single mild to moderate stroke, were randomized into either a control group of upper extremity stretching ...

OBJECTIVE To assess plantarflexion moment and hip joint moment after-effects following walking on a split-belt treadmill in healthy individuals and individuals post-stroke. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS Ten healthy individuals (mean age 57.6 years (standard deviation; SD 17.2)) and twenty individuals post-stroke (mean age 49.3 years (SD 13.2)). METHODS Participants walked on an i...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of task-specific plantar flexor training on walking ability indices in a patient with a paretic ankle. [Subject and Methods] The subject was a 65-year-old male patient with right hemiplegia due to a left medullary ventral infarction. An ABA' single-subject design was adopted. The independent variable was a task-specific plantar flex...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Postural muscle responses are often impaired after stroke. We aimed to identify the contribution of deficits in very early postural responses to poorer reactive balance capacity, with a particular focus on reactive stepping as a key strategy for avoiding falls. METHODS A total of 34 chronic stroke survivors and 17 controls were subjected to translational balance pertu...

BACKGROUND Physical therapy (PT) is one of the key disciplines in interdisciplinary stroke rehabilitation. The aim of this systematic review was to provide an update of the evidence for stroke rehabilitation interventions in the domain of PT. METHODS AND FINDINGS Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding PT in stroke rehabilitation were retrieved through a systematic search. Outcomes were...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare stroke-related changes in hip flexor neuromuscular fatigue of the paretic leg during a sustained isometric submaximal contraction with those of the nonparetic leg and controls and to correlate fatigue with clinical measures of function. DESIGN Hip torques were measured during a fatiguing hip flexion contraction at 20% of the hip flexion maximal v...

Background: Stroke-induced impairments result from both primary and secondary causes, i.e. damage to the brain and the acquired non-use of the impaired limbs. Indeed, stroke patients often under-utilize their paretic limb despite sufficient residual motor function. We hypothesize that acquired non-use can be overcome by reinforcement-based training strategies. Methods: Hemiparetic stroke patien...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE This study investigated the non-velocity-related effects of a 1-bar rigid ankle-foot orthosis on the gait of hemiparetic subjects, with particular emphasis on the muscle activity of the paretic lower limb. METHODS Twenty-one hemiparetic subjects who had been using an ankle-foot orthosis for equinovarus deformity for <1 week participated. Patients walked cued by a metron...

[Purpose] In this study, we aimed to verify the trunk motion characteristics of anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) made by post-stroke hemiplegic patients at gait initiation. [Participants and Methods] The participants were 10 elderly controls 30 stroke patients. Measurements using a center gravity measurement instrument, surface electromyograph, an accelerometer. Accelerometers attached ...