Abstract 21: Treadmill with partial body-weight support versus conventional gait training after stroke.

Abstract

Objective: To test the hypothesis that stroke patients treated with treadmill training and partial body-weight support walk faster 90 days after stroke than patients treated with conventional gait training. Design: Block randomized, 2 treatment arm trial. Outcome measurement was performed blind to treatment group. Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation hospital. Participants: 83 patients randomized to the treadmill (n=42) or conventional (n=41) treatments within 30 days of stroke. Patients were stratified by initial walking speed (0, >0, <.25, ≥.25m/s) and stroke location (cortical, subcortical). Eligible patients had first stroke, hemiparesis, required at least contact guard to walk, and were not ataxic. Interventions: Subjects received 12 once-daily 30-minute treatments over a 3-week period and received equal study treatment time in addition to their normal therapy. Treadmill subjects started treatment with average unweighting of 30% body weight and treadmill speed set at 1.1 miles/h. Conventional treatment included standing, walking, sit to stand, standing with activity, and walking with activity. Main Outcome Measure: The primary outcome was velocity 90 days after stroke. Secondary outcomes included 6-minute walk distance, FIM™ instrument mobility subscale score, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, Fugl-Meyer Assessment leg motor score, and Tinetti score. Results: All demographic, medical, and other risk factors showed no difference except for mean age (treadmill group, 69.4±10.6y vs conventional group, 62.0±12.9y). 90-day walking speed did not differ significantly (treadmill group, .71±.50m/s vs conventional group, .83±.50m/s), nor was there a difference in change in walking speed between initial measurement and 90 days. There was no significant difference in the 6-minute walk distance at 90 days or in any of the other secondary outcomes. Conclusions: Both treatment groups made improvements in walking velocity and clinical measures during rehabilitation, but treadmill training with partial body-weight support conferred no additional benefit compared with conventional training. Age may be a contributing factor to the results.