The effects of closed kinetic chain exercise and open kinetic chain exercise in improving the balance of patients with hemiplegia

닫힌 사슬운동과 열린 사슬운동이 편마비 환자의 균형에 미치는 영향

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of closed kinetic chain exercise and open kinetic chain exercise in improving the balance of patients with hemiplegia. Methods Ten patients with stroke were randomly allocated to either a closed kinetic chain exercise (CKC) group(n=5) or an open kinetic chain exercise(OKC) group(n=5). The subjects of each group followed the exercise regimen of their respective groups, and each exercise was performed for 50 mins per day, 3 days per week, for 4 weeks. Assessment was made using Berg Balance Scale (BBS), One Leg Standing(OLS) test, and Timed up and go(TUG) test. The 2 groups were assessed twice: before and after the intervention. Results The TUG test score was significantly different in the CKC group between before and after intervention (p<.05); however, there was no such deference in the OKC group (p>.05). Further, the scores of the BBS and OLS tests were not significantly different for the 2 groups between before and after intervention (p>.05). The hanges in these BBS and OLS score were not significantly different(p>.05); however, there was a significant difference in the change in the TUG scores (p<.05). Conclusion On the basis of the results of this study, we found that the closed kinetic chain exercise is more effective in improving the walking ability and dynamic balance in patients with stroke. Future studies are warranted in this regard.