Single-subject design study of 2 types of supramalleolar orthoses for young children with down syndrome.

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of 2 types of supramalleolar orthoses on gross motor skills of young children with Down syndrome. METHODS: Two children participated in this prospective single-subject, alternating treatment design with 3 conditions: baseline phase with shoes but without orthoses (A), first intervention phase (B1), and second intervention phase (B2). The Gross Motor Function Measure was used to collect data on motor skills. The 2-standard deviation band method was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Both children demonstrated improvement, using the SureStep compared to shoes only, and 1 child also improved with the DAFO #4. Both families chose to continue using the SureStep at the conclusion of the study. CONCLUSIONS: Orthoses for young children with Down syndrome continue to be the standard of care; however, research has yet to confirm the most effective type of orthosis or when developmentally to introduce orthoses.

Running training after stroke: a single-subject report.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although many people who have had a stroke are primarily interested in learning to walk, some are able to focus on a return to recreational and sporting activities. This study was carried out to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of the use of intensive task-oriented training in the body-weight-support/treadmill environment to improve running for a subject after stroke. SUBJECT: The subject was a 38-year-old man who had a stroke 2.5 years previously. METHODS: A single-subject design with baseline, intervention, immediate postintervention, and 6-month postintervention phases was conducted. Dependent variables included 25-m sprint time, single-leg balance, running step width, running step length ratio, Stroke Impact Scale, 6-minute walk test, and lower-extremity strength (force-generating capacity). RESULTS: At the 6-month postintervention phase, sprint speed, left single-leg balance, and step width changed significantly from the baseline phase. Step length ratio trended toward less symmetry but more consistency, and muscle strength improved more than 20% in 6 of 8 muscle groups in the involved lower extremity and 4 of 8 muscle groups in the uninvolved lower extremity. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Intensive task-specific training was feasible and effective for retraining running ability in the study subject. He returned to recreational running, which provided him with a greatly improved outlook and a better quality of life.