Effects of virtual reality with robot training on the gait of subacute stroke patients

Abstract

Ambulation is always one of the most significant issues for post-stroke patients as well as a formidable challenge. There was few study, to our best knowledge, focusing on the kinetic and kinematic changes resulting from training using robotic devices with virtual reality (VR) for subacute stroke patients. Thus, we analyzed the gait parameters of these patients at 1week and 3 weeks after they suffered the disease. Twenty patients were included in this single blind randomized control study. Patients were randomized to either a VR with robot group ( n = 10) or non-VR group ( n = 10). The training was performed on a robotic gait-training system with situational interaction. Subjects in VR group were trained 5 times a week for two weeks for approximately 30 minutes every time. Others were trained by traditional therapies. After the two-week training, the step time of patients in VR group significantly decreased (from 0.88 ± 0.29 to 0.77 ± 0.16), while the stride length average (from 0.72 ± 0.26 to 0.81 ± 0.25), step length average (from 0.36 ± 0.12 to 0.42 ± 0.10) and walking speed average (from 0.49 ± 0.25 to 0.59 ± 0.23) significantly increased ( P < 0.05). Subjects in VR group demonstrated an obviously larger improvement in the maximum hip moment and minimum ankle moment ( P = 0.028 and P = 0.040, respectively) compared with those in non-VR group. VR training with robot system could also be applied, as traditional therapy, in rehabilitation process of subacute stroke patients, especially in the improvement of step length and walking speed.