Effect of Weight Loads Applied to the Ankle on Walking Factors of a Stroke Patient

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the visual and spatial elements of the gait of a stroke patient who had diverse ankle weight loads applied, according to weight changes. Methods: The subject was a 57-year-old stroke patient diagnosed and hospitalized with a left intracerebral hemorrhage. A weight equivalent to 0%, 1%, and 2% of his body weight was applied to the area 5cm upward from the ankle using a Velcro strap. He was then trained on a treadmill, receiving a six-minute walk test to evaluate his gait ability. A gait analyzer was used to collect visual and spatial elements, such as gait distance, gait velocity, cadence, step length, stride length, and swing phase, according to a weight load equivalent to 0%, 1%, and 2% of his body weight. Results: According to the results of applying 0%, 1%, and 2% of his body weight on the ankle, except for gait velocity, his gait distance, cadence, step length, stride length, and swing phase were higher when 1% of his body weight was applied compared to 0% or 2% of his body weight. Conclusion: Applying a weight equivalent to 1% of the body weight to the ankle positively affected the visual and spatial element of the gait and heightened the efficiency of exercise during treadmill training, a gait-training tool generally used for stroke patients. However, the result is difficult to generalize because the number of subjects was small with only one subject.

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