Gait outcomes after acute stroke rehabilitation with supported treadmill ambulation training: A randomized controlled pilot study

• Published in: Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation Vol. 83; no. 9; pp. 1258 - 1265
• Main Authors: da Cunha, Inácio Teixeira, Lim, Peter A., Qureshy, Huma, Henson, Helene, Monga, Trilok, Protas, Elizabeth J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.09.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Ambulation; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebrovascular accident; Diseases of the nervous system; Energy Metabolism; Exercise Therapy; Female; Gait; Gait - physiology; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Pilot Projects; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Rehabilitation; Statistics, Nonparametric; Stroke - physiopathology; Stroke Rehabilitation; Treadmill test; Treatment Outcome; Cerebrovascular accident; Rehabilitation; Gait; Ambulation; Treadmill test; Treadmill exercise; Human; Nervous system diseases; Stroke; Energy cost; Physical training; Acute; Cardiovascular disease; Physical rehabilitation; Statistical study; Velocity; Cerebral disorder; Functional capacity; Vascular disease; Central nervous system disease; Endurance; Cerebrovascular disease
• ISSN: 0003-9993; 1532-821X
• DOI: 10.1053/apmr.2002.34267

da Cunha IT Jr, Lim PA, Qureshy H, Henson H, Monga T, Protas EJ. Gait outcomes after acute stroke rehabilitation with supported treadmill ambulation training: a randomized controlled pilot study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83:1258-65. Objective: To investigate gait outcomes with supported treadmill ambulation training (STAT) associated with regular rehabilitation in acute stroke survivors. Design: Randomized controlled trial, pilot study. Setting: Rehabilitation medicine service at a Veterans Affairs medical center. Participants: Seven acute stroke survivors assigned to regular intervention group and 6 patients assigned to STAT intervention. Interventions: Regular intervention consisted of 3 hours daily of physical therapy, kinesiotherapy, and occupational therapy. STAT group received regular rehabilitation with STAT substituted for usual gait training. Participants were tested at baseline, treated for an average of 3 weeks, and retested on discharge. The analysis of covariance procedure was used to test for differences between the 2 approaches. Main Outcome Measures: Functional Ambulation Category Scale, gait speed, walking distance, gait energy expenditure, and gait energy cost. Results: The small sample size did not generate enough power to detect significant differences in any variable. However, medium to large effect sizes of 0.7 and 1.16 standard deviation units were observed for gait energy cost and walk distance, respectively. Conclusions: This pilot study indicated that STAT is a safe, feasible, and promising intervention for acute stroke survivors. A larger trial is warranted for statistical relevance. © 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation