Ann Rehabil Med.  2015 Dec;39(6):995-1001. 10.5535/arm.2015.39.6.995.

Effects of Balance Control Training on Functional Outcomes in Subacute Hemiparetic Stroke Patients

• Huh JS
• Lee YS
• Kim CH
• Min YS
• Kang MG
• Jung TD

• KMID: 2165627
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5535/arm.2015.39.6.995

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the efficacy of balance control training using a newly developed balance control trainer (BalPro) on the balance and gait of patients with subacute hemiparetic stroke.
METHODS
Forty-three subacute stroke patients were assigned to either a balance control training (BCT) group or a control group. The BCT group (n=23) was trained with BalPro for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week for 2 weeks, and received one daily session of conventional physical therapy. The control group (n=20) received two sessions of conventional physical therapy every day for 2 weeks. The primary outcome was assessment with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Secondary outcomes were Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), the 6-minute walking test (6mWT), Timed Up and Go (TUG), the Korean version of Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI), and the manual muscle test (MMT) of the knee extensor. All outcome measures were evaluated before and after 2 weeks of training in both groups.
RESULTS
There were statistically significant improvements in all parameters except MMT and FAC after 2 weeks of treatment in both groups. After training, the BCT group showed greater improvements in the BBS and the 6mWT than did the control group.
CONCLUSION
Balance control training using BalPro could be a useful treatment for improving balance and gait in subacute hemiparetic stroke patients.

Keyword

Postural balance; Gait; Stroke

MeSH Terms

Gait
Humans
Knee
Outcome Assessment (Health Care)
Postural Balance
Stroke*
Walking

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Flow diagram of this study. In total, 43 patients participated in the research. Patients were randomly divided into two groups by flipping a coin. Three participants from the control group did not complete the study due to medical complications (n=2) or personal reasons (n=1).

• 

  Fig. 2 BalPro (Man&Tel, Gumi, Korea) consists of a balance board, a tilting sensor, a computer system, and a screen. To prevent patients from falling down, a harness and a safety bar are used.

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