ArticleAnalysis of impairments influencing gait velocity and asymmetry of hemiplegic patients after mild to moderate stroke1☆,
Section snippets
Participants
Subjects with hemiplegia resulting from a single onset of stroke were recruited from the outpatient rehabilitation clinic of a local hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. Inclusion criteria were ability to communicate with others; to walk independently without any assistance or device for at least 10m; and to actively flex the affected hip, to extend the affected knee, and to plantarflex the affected ankle. Patients with limitations in joint range of motion or pain in the lower
Results
Twenty-six patients (19 men, 7 women) participated in this research. The mean age of the subjects was 54.2 years (range, 30–69y) and the average postonset duration was 10.3 months (range, 1–43mo). Fourteen subjects had right-side hemiparesis, and the rest had left-side hemiparesis. The etiology for half the subjects was cerebral infarction; the other half had cerebral hemorrhage. Table 1 summarizes the subjects’ demographic characteristics, motor and sensory scores, and spasticity score of the
Discussion
Our study investigated the relationship between direct impairments (muscle strength, motor and sensory function of the affected lower extremity, spasticity of the affected ankle plantarflexors) and gait performance (gait velocity, temporal and spatial asymmetry) in patients with mild to moderate stroke without significant cognitive or visuospatial perception disorders. This study also identified direct impairments that determine gait velocity and asymmetry in these patients. All subjects showed
Conclusion
Gait velocity and asymmetry were differentially affected by the investigated direct impairments in hemiplegic patients after mild to moderate stroke. Strength of the affected hip flexors and knee extensors were the most important factors determining the comfortable and fast gait velocities, respectively. However, spasticity of the ankle plantarflexors appeared to be the critical factor determining the temporal and spatial asymmetry of hemiplegic gait. Therapeutic interventions to improve gait
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2023, Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
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Supported in part by a graduate fellowship from the Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
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No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.