Treadmill training with tilt sensor functional electrical stimulation for improving balance, gait, and muscle architecture of tibialis anterior of survivors with chronic stroke: A randomized controlled trial
Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health and Welfare, Sahmyook University, Seoul, Korea | [b] Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Myongji Choonhey Rehabilitation Hospital, Seoul, Korea | [c] Department of Physical Therapy, College of Natural Sciences, Kyungnam University, Changwon-si, Korea
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Suk-Min Lee, Department of Physical Therapy, Sahmyook University, 26-21, Gongneung2-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul 139-742, Korea. Tel.: +82 10 3704 5650; Fax: +82 2 3399 1639; E-mail:leesm@syu.ac.kr
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Gait training is important for stroke rehabilitation, such as using the
treadmill training with functional electrical stimulation (FES). OBJECTIVE: This study was to investigate the effects of the treadmill training with
tilt sensor FES on the balance, gait, and muscle architecture of the
tibialis anterior in stroke survivors. METHODS: The study was a randomized controlled trial. Thirty-four stroke survivors were
recruited and screened eligibility criteria. Thirty-two participants were randomly
allocated to two groups using random allocation software: Treadmill training
with Tilt Sensor FES (TTSF) group (n= 16) and Treadmill training with Placebo
Tilt Sensor FES (TPTSF) group (n= 16). TTSF group performed gait training on
treadmill with tilt sensor FES, and TPTSF group performed gait training on
treadmill with placebo tilt sensor FES. Two participants were dropped during
this study, and 30 participants were included at post-test. Balance and gait
were measured using the timed up and go (TUG) test, berg balance scale
(BBS), and 10 m walk test (10 mWT). Ultrasound imaging was used to measure the
muscle architecture of the tibialis anterior. RESULTS: After intervention, there were significant improvements in the TUG, BBS,
and 10 mWT compared to baseline in both groups (p< 0.05). At follow-up, the
TUG, BBS, 10 mWT, and muscle architecture of tibialis anterior on the paretic
side showed significant improvements in the TTSF group compared to TPTSF
group (p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that TTSF can be an effective
intervention for improving balance, gait ability, and muscle architecture of
tibialis anterior of stroke survivors.
