Seated bilateral leg exercise effects on hemiparetic lower extremity function in chronic stroke

Area of Science:

• Neurorehabilitation
• Motor recovery after stroke
• Auditory cueing interventions

Background:

• Bilateral arm training with rhythmic auditory cueing (BATRAC) effectively enhances upper extremity function in hemiparetic stroke patients.
• The efficacy of a similar approach for the hemiparetic lower extremity (LE) remains unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the transferability of the BATRAC strategy to the lower extremities using bilateral leg training with rhythmic auditory cueing (BLETRAC).
• To assess the impact of BLETRAC on LE motor function in chronic stroke survivors.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 24 chronic stroke participants.
• Interventions included BLETRAC and BATRAC, each consisting of ten 30-minute sessions.
• Primary outcomes: Fugl-Meyer LE and UE subscales. Secondary outcomes: gait parameters and repetitive aiming tasks.

Main Results:

• Improvements observed in Fugl-Meyer LE and UE subscales favored the respective intervention groups post-training.
• The BLETRAC group demonstrated enhanced step length and improved performance in foot and hand aiming tasks.
• No significant differences between groups were noted at the 3-month follow-up.

Conclusions:

• The BATRAC approach is feasible for LE training (BLETRAC) in stroke rehabilitation.
• Targeted bilateral training induced temporary improvements in limb motor function.
• Extended training durations may be necessary to achieve sustained and more significant functional gains.