Effects of Early Treadmill Training on Ambulatory Ability in Stroke Patients: Electromyographic and Kinematic Analyses

Sponsor

National Taiwan University Hospital (Other)

Overall Status

Completed

CT.gov ID

NCT00167089

Collaborator

National Science Council, Taiwan (Other)

Enrollment

Location

Duration (Months)

1.7

Patients Per Site Per Month

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to explore an alternative approach that emphasizes task specificity and treadmill training for ambulation training of these patients.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Stroke	Behavioral: Treadmill Training	N/A

Detailed Description

Restoration of independent ambulatory ability is one of the most common functional goals of patients with hemiplegia after stroke. Ambulation training, therefore, is an important part of physical therapy intervention for these patients. Conventional neurologic physical therapy for ambulation training, based sorely on neurophysiology, prohibits early ambulation experience after stroke in attempt to avoid the development of abnormal gait patterns. Such an approach has been shown to be limited in helping these patients regain independent ambulatory ability.

Study Design

Study Type:

Interventional

Actual Enrollment :

40 participants

Allocation:

Randomized

Intervention Model:

Parallel Assignment

Masking:

None (Open Label)

Official Title:

Effects of Early Treadmill Training on Ambulatory Ability in Stroke Patients: Electromyographic and Kinematic Analyses

Study Start Date :

Aug 1, 1998

Actual Primary Completion Date :

Aug 1, 2000

Actual Study Completion Date :

Aug 1, 2000

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

To investigate walking speed and stride length as the representation of ambulation ability [3 months]

Secondary Outcome Measures

To investigate the the co-activation duration between the activity of hamstring and quadriceps, and tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius joints, the level of symmetry in step length and stance/swing duration ratio between the affected and unaffected legs [3 months]

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:

40 Years to 75 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Inclusion Criteria:

between 40 and 75 years old
first stroke with R't side hemiplegia due to middle cerebral artery occlusion and received acute treatment at NTUH
being willing to sign an informed consent approved by the Human Subjects Committee of the National Taiwan University Hospital
able to ambulate independently in parallel bars and having no independent ambulation ability outside parallel bars

Excursion criteria:

having unstable vital sign, unconsciousness, or obvious cognitive, perception, and language impairment, and couldn't communicate with the experimenters
having other neurological diseases, or moderate to severe neuromuscular or musculoskeletal or cardiovascular disorders, or disorders from systematic diseases other than stroke