Treadmill training with Thera-Band improves motor function, gait and balance in stroke patients

Article type: Research Article

Authors: In, Taesung^{a; 1} | Jin, Youngmi^{b; 1} | Jung, Kyoungsim^{c; 2; *} | Cho, Hwi-young^{d; 2; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical Therapy, Gimcheon University, Gimcheon, Republic of Korea | [b] Department of Physical Therapy, Kaiser Rehabilitation Hospital, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea | [c] Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan college of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea | [d] Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Science, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Kyoungsim Jung, PT, Ph.D., Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan college of Medicine, 88 Olympic-ro 43gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea. Tel.: +82 2 3010 8629; Fax: +82 2 3010 8614; E-mail: jkspt@hanmail.net and Hwi-young Cho, PT, Ph.D., Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Science, Gachon University, 191, Hambangmoe-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 406-799, Republic of Korea. Tel.: +82 32 820 4560; Fax: +82 32 820 4420; E-mail: hwiyoung@gachon.ac.kr.

Note: [1] These two authors contributed equally to this study as co-first author.

Note: [2] Two authors have contributed equally to this work as corresponding author.

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of treadmill training with Thera-Band on motor function, gait and balance abilities in patients with stroke. METHODS: 30 participants with hemiparetic stroke were recruited and randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group (n = 15) and the control group (n = 15). Participants in both groups received conventional physical therapy for 30 minutes before the intervention. Additionally, subject in the experimental group performed treadmill training with Thera-Band for 30 minutes, five times a week for four weeks, while the control group conducted treadmill training only for the same amount of time. To measure motor function, Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) was used. Timed-up and Go (TUG), 10-meter walk test (10MWT) and Performance-oriented mobility assessment (POMA) were used to analysis balance and gait abilities. RESULTS: In FMA, TUG, 10MWT and Gait POMA, there were significant improvements in both groups after intervention. And more significant changes were shown in the experimental group than the control group (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference within group and between the groups in the Balance POMA. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that treadmill training with Thera-Band is beneficial and effective to improve motor function of the lower extremities, gait and balance ability in stroke patients.

Keywords: Balance, gait, stroke, Thera-Band

DOI: 10.3233/NRE-161395

Journal: NeuroRehabilitation, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 109-114, 2017