• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.27-33
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to find which spatiotemporal gait parameters gained from stroke patients could be predictive factors for the gait part of Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA-G). Two hundred forty-six stroke patients were recruited for this study. They participated in two assessments, the POMA-G and computerized spatiotemporal gait analysis. To analyze the relationship between the POMA-G and spatiotemporal parameters, we used Pearson's correlation coefficients. In addition, multiple linear regression analyses (stepwise method) were used to predict the spatiotemporal gait parameters that correlated most with the POMA-G. The results show that the gait velocity (r=.67, p<.01), cadence (r=.66, p<.01), step length of the affected side (r=.49, p<.01), step length of the non-affected side (r=.53, p<.01), swing percentage of the non-affected side (r=.47, p<.01), and single support percentage of the affected side (r=.53, p<.01) as well as the double support percentage of the non-affected side (r=-.42, p<.01) and the step-length asymmetry (r=-.64, p<.01) correlated with POMA-G. The gait velocity, step-length asymmetry, cadence, and single support percentage of the affected side explained 67%, 2%, 2%, and 1% of the variance in the POMA-G, respectively. In conclusion, gait velocity would be the most predictive factor for the POMA-G.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.355-363
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to obtain detailed and quantified data concerning the effects of plantarflexor muscle fatigue induced in the non-paretic side on the spatial and temporal gait parameters of the bilateral lower extremities during walking in stroke patients. Methods: This study was conducted on 20 patients with chronic stroke. The load contraction fatigue test was applied to induce muscle fatigue in the non-paretic plantarflexor muscle. Step length, stride length, double support, gait velocity and cadence, and functional ambulatory profile (FAP) score in the bilateral lower extremities were measured using a gait analysis system in order to investigate changes in temporal and spatial gait parameters caused by muscle fatigue on the non-paretic side. The statistical significance of the results was evaluated using a paired t-test. Results: A review of the results for gait parameters revealed a significant increase in double support (p<0.05) and a significant decrease in step length, stride length, gait velocity and cadence, and FAP score (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results indicate that the muscle fatigue in the non-paretic side of the stroke patients also affected the paretic side, which led to a decrease in gait functions. This implies a necessity to perform exercise or training programs in a range of clinical aspects not causing muscle fatigue.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.17-28
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• 2003

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of treadmill gait training on the functional characteristics and the temporal-distance parameters of gait in hemiplegic patients, as compared with conventional gait training. The subjects of this study were 32 hemiplegic patients who had been admitted or were visited out-patients at Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, from March 3 through April 25, 2003. These subjects were randomly divided into treadmill gait training group or conventional gait training group. We evaluated the gait ability, motor functions, muscle strength, spasticity, physiological cost index, and temporal-distance parameters. We analyzed the changes between pre and post training in each groups, and the difference between two groups. Temporal-distance parameters were obtained using the ink footprint method and then energy consumption using physiological cost index. The results were as follows: 1. After a six-week training, treadmill gait training group significantly improved, as. compared to pre-training, in gait ability, motor functions for the leg and trunk and gross function, muscle strength of the lower limb, gait speed, cadence, step length both on the affected and on the unaffected side, step length symmetry, and energy consumption(p<0.05). 2. After a six-week training, conventional gait training group significantly improved, as compared to pretraining, in gait ability, motor functions for the leg and trunk, muscle strength of the lower limb, spasticity the upper limb, gait speed, cadence, step length both on the affected and on the unaffected side, and energy consumption(p<0.05). 3. After a six-week training, the treadmill gait training group significantly improved, as compared to the conventional gait, training, in gait speed and step length on the unaffected side. These results show that treadmill gait training was improved gait speed and step length on the unaffected side of hemiplegic patients, as compared with conventional gait training. Further research is needed to confirm the generalization of these findings and to identify which hemiplegic patients might benefit from treadmill gait training.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.127-133
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of foam roller (FR) stretching, kinesiotaping (KT), and dynamic stretching (DS) on gait parameters after inducing muscle fatigue in the ankle joint. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The subjects were thirty healthy young adults between the ages of 20 and 31 years at Baekseok University who voluntarily participated in this study. The participants were randomly assigned to either the FR group, KT group, or the DS group after inducing muscle fatigue of the ankle joint. Fatigue induction of the ankle joint muscles was performed by alternating a heel up and down exercise with the standing posture on the ground. The speed was maintained at 40 beats/minute using a metronome. Subsequently, the respective intervention was applied to each group. Gait parameters were measured before and after ankle muscle fatigue induction, and after intervention using the GAITRite system. One-way ANOVA was used to compare gait parameters among groups, while repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare gait parameters within each intervention group. Results: The FR group increased significantly in velocity, step length, and stride length except for cadence after intervention compared to after ankle muscle fatigue induction (p<0.01). Furthermore, the KT group showed significant increases in velocity, cadence, step length, and stride length after intervention, especially in cadence group (p<0.05). All intervention groups showed significant increases in stride length after intervention, especially the DS group (p<0.05). Conclusions: Therefore, we suggest that KT, FR, and DS can be an effective intervention on gait parameters when the ankle joint is unstable and injured.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.107-113
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• 2020

Purpose: This study compared the walking ability of chronic stroke patients following either treadmill training with knowledge of the result (KR group) or treadmill training with knowledge of the performance (KP group). Methods: Nineteen patients with chronic stroke were recruited from a rehabilitation hospital. The patients were divided into two groups: a KR group (10 patients) and a KP group (9 patients). They received 30 minutes of neuro-developmental therapy and treadmill training 30 minutes, five times a week for three weeks. The gait parameters were measured before and after training using the Optogait system. Results: After the training periods, the KR group showed significant improvement in gait speed, cadence, step length of the unaffected limb, stance time of the affected limb, and functional gait assessment compared to the KP group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that treadmill training with KR was more effective in improving the gait speed and cadence, step length of the unaffected limb, stance time of the affected limb, and functional gait ability than the treadmill training with KP. Therefore, to improve the walking ability of stroke patients, it is necessary to consider treadmill training with KR. If it can be combined with conventional neurological physiotherapy, it would be an effective rehabilitation for stroke patients.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.2028-2035
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• 2020

Background: Weakness of the trunk muscles decreases the trunk control ability of stroke patients, which is significantly related to balance and gait. Objectives: To compare the impact of diagonal pattern self-exercise on an unstable surface and a stable surface for trunk rehabilitation on trunk control, balance, and gait ability in stroke patients. Design: Nonequivalent control group design. Methods: Twenty four participants were randomized into the experimental group (diagonal pattern self-exercise while sitting on an unstable surface, n=12) and the control group (diagonal pattern self-exercise while sitting on a stable surface, n=12). All interventions were conducted for 30 minutes, three times a week for four weeks, and the trunk impairment scale (TIS), berg balance scale (BBS), functional gait assessment (FGA), and G-walk were measured. Results: All groups indicated significant increases in all variables (TIS, BBS, FGA, cadence, speed, stride length) after four weeks. The TIS, BBS, FGA, cadence, gait speed, and stride length group-by-time were significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: We found that, in stroke patients, diagonal pattern self-exercise on an unstable surface is a more effective method for improving trunk control, balance, and gait ability than diagonal pattern self-exercise on a stable surface.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.297-303
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• 2021

Objective: Stroke patients generally have problems with motor function, muscle weakness, and gait.This study was purposed toevaluate the effect of the treadmill training with kinesio taping of tibialis anterior (TKT) on muscle function, tibialis anterior, muscle strength, and gait ability in poststroke patients. Design: A randomized controlled design Methods: The participants were randomly divided in the TKT group (experimental group) and treadmill training with sham kinesio taping (control group), with 21 patients assigned to each group. Both groups receive treadmill training with kinesio taping and sham kinesio taping for 30 minutes per day, five days per week, for four weeks. The motor function was measured using the Fugl-Meyer assessment. A disital manual muscle test and G-walk were used to evaluate ankle dorsiflexor and gait ability.Evaluation was performed baseline and 4 weeks after the experiment. Results: Both groups showed significantly more improvement in muscle function, tibialis anterior muscle strength, cadence, gait velocity, and stridelength in pre-post intervention change(p<0.05).The experimental group showed significantly more improvement in motor function, muscle strength, cadence, gait velocity, and stridelength ability comparedto the control group(p<0.05). Conclusions: These finding show the benefits of treadmill training with kinesio taping for functional recovery in poststroke patients

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.98-103
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• 2022

Purpose: New therapeutic approaches have emerged to improve gait ability in patients with brain damage, such as action observation learning (AOT), auditory cueing, motor imagery etc. We attempted to investigate the effects of AOT with auditory cueing (AOTAC) on gait function in patients with stroke. Methods: The eighteen stroke patients with a unilateral hemiparesis were randomly divided into three groups; the AOTAC, AOT, and control groups. The AOTAC group (n=8) received training via observing a video that showed normal gait with sound of footsteps as an auditory cue; the AOT group (n=6) receive action observation without auditory stimulation; the control group (n=5) observed the landscape video image. Intervention time of three groups was 30 minutes per day, five times a week, for four weeks. Gait parameters, such as cadence, velocity, stride length, stance phase, and swing phase were collected in all patients before and after each training session. Results: Significant differences were observed among the three groups with respect to the parameters, such as cadence, velocity, stride length, and stance/swing phase. Post-hoc analysis indicated that the AOTAC group had a greater significant change in all of parameters, compared with the AOT and control groups. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that AOTAC may be an effective therapeutic approach to improve gait symmetry and function in patients with stroke. We believe that this effect is attributable to the change of cortical excitability on motor related to cortical areas.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.19-25
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• 2018

PURPOSE: Most gait assessment tools are expensive and require controlled laboratory environments. Tri-axial accelerometers have been used in gait analysis as an alternative to laboratory assessments. Many smartphones have added an accelerometer, making it possible to assess spatio-temporal gait parameters. This study was conducted to confirm the reliability and validity of a smartphone-based accelerometer at quantifying spatio-temporal gait parameters of stroke patients when attached to the body. METHODS: We measured gait parameters using a smartphone accelerometer and gait parameters through the GAITRite analysis system and the reliability and validity of the smartphone-based accelerometer for quantifying spatio-temporal gait parameters for stroke patients were then evaluated. Thirty stroke patients were asked to walk at self-selected comfortable speeds over a 10 m walkway, during which time gait velocity, cadence and step length were computed from smartphone-based accelerometers and validated with a GAITRite analysis system. RESULTS: Smartphone data was found to have excellent reliability ($ICC2,1{\geq}.98$) for measuring the tested parameters, with a high correlation being observed between smartphone-based gait parameters and GAITRite analysis system-based gait parameters (r = .99, .97, .41 for gait velocity, cadence, step length, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that specific opportunities exist for smartphone-based gait assessment as an alternative to conventional gait assessment. Moreover, smartphone-based gait assessment can provide objective information about changes in the spatio-temporal gait parameters of stroke subjects.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.295-306
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of robot-assisted gait training on the active ranges of motion, gait abilities, and biomechanical characteristics of gait in patients who underwent lower extremity surgery, and to verify the effectiveness and clinical usefulness of robot-assisted gait training. Methods: This study was conducted on 14 subjects who underwent lower extremity surgery. The subjects participated in robot-assisted gait training for 2 weeks. The active ranges of motion of the lower extremities were evaluated, and gait abilities were assessed using 10-m and 2-min walk tests. An STT Systems Inertial Measurement Unit was used to collect data on biomechanical characteristics during gait. Spatiotemporal parameters were used to measure cadence, step length, and velocity, and kinematic parameters were used to measure hip and knee joint movement during gait. Results: Significant improvements in the active ranges of motion of the hip and knee joints (flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction) and in the 10-m and 2-min walk test results were observed after robot-assisted gait training (p < 0.05). In addition, biomechanical characteristics of gait, spatiotemporal factors (cadence, step length, and velocity), and kinematic factors (gait hip flexion-extension, internal rotation-external rotation angle, and knee joint flexion-extension) were also significantly improved (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study are of clinical importance as they demonstrate that robot-assisted gait training can be used as an effective intervention method for patients who have undergone lower extremity surgery. Furthermore, the findings of this study are clinically meaningful as they expand the scope of robot-assisted gait training, which is currently mainly applied to patients with central nervous system conditions.