Effect of Aquatic Treadmill Training on Walking in Stroke Patients / 中国康复理论与实践

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effect of aquatic treadmill training on walking function in stroke patients.Methods From July, 2015 to October, 2017, 33 patients with cerebral infarction were randomly divided into control group (n = 16) and treatment group (n = 17).The control group accepted routine water exercise, while the treatment group accepted aquatic treadmill training in addition, for six weeks. They were assessed with Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), 2 Minute Walk Test (2MWT) and gait analysis before and after six weeks of treatment.Results All the indexes improved in both groups after treatment (t＞ 2.536, P ＜ 0.05), and the performance of BBS, TUG, 2 MWT, and gait analysis indexes of length, speed and width of steps improved more in the treatment group than in the control group (t＞ 2.057, P ＜ 0.05). The incidence of improvement was more in in the treatment group than in the control group (χ2= 33, P ＜ 0.001) Conclusion Aquatic treadmill training can improve the walking function for stroke patients.