Article

The main clinical measures of walking recovery in stroke patients
were compared for training assisted by Walkaround(R) postural support (WPS) and
conventional (CON) support by a cane/therapist. OBJECTIVE: We attributed the
differences between the trainings to modified muscular synergies that occurred
during assistance by WPS. METHODS: We studied the muscle activities of the
primary knee and ankle joint movers in the paretic and non-paretic legs of
sub-acute stroke patients during assisted walking with WPS and CON. Recorded
signals were compared to normative data that were recorded during speed-matched
gait trials in healthy subjects. The specific measures were the relative
contribution of individual muscles, levels of cocontraction, and the timing of
the maximum electromyography (EMG) activity during the walking sessions. RESULTS:
We found that, for most patients, the individual contribution of muscles were
more similar to the healthy with the WPS assistance. In parallel, the
cocontraction of the rectus femoris muscles in both legs was lower (by up to 39
%) during walking assisted by WPS than by cane/therapist gait support); the
results from this case series (10 patients) showed that WPS might be the superior
training scheme. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicated that assistance by WPS
changed the motor control output relative to CON assistance in most patients.

Langue : ANGLAIS