Loading...
A relatively recent innovation for improving ambulation after stroke combines treadmill walking with a commercially available, electronically controlled body-weight support system that provides stability during treadmill walking. In an NIH-sponsored randomized trial, researchers compared this intervention (begun at either 2 or 6 months after stroke and administered at treatment centers) to a control exercise program (begun 2 months after stroke and administered in the home by physical therapists). The 408 patients already had received standard poststroke rehabilitation, had residual paresis in the affected leg, and were able to walk slowly with assistance. The intervention lasted 3 to 4 months.
At 1 year, similar proportions of intervention …