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Movement Retraining using Real-time Feedback of Performance
Published on: January 17, 2013
Task-oriented biofeedback to improve gait in individuals with chronic stroke: motor learning approach
Johanna Jonsdottir1, Davide Cattaneo, Mauro Recalcati
1Department of Neurorehabilitation, Fondazione Don C. Gnocchi ONLUS, IRCCS S, Maria Nascente, Milan, Italy. jjonsdottir@dongnocchi.it
Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
|January 8, 2010
Summary
Task-oriented electromyographic biofeedback (EMG-BFB) effectively improved ankle power and gait velocity in stroke survivors with hemiparesis. This gait retraining strategy showed lasting benefits six weeks post-treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neurorehabilitation
- Biomechanics
- Motor Control
Background:
- Electromyographic biofeedback (EMG-BFB) has yielded inconsistent results for post-stroke gait improvement.
- Task-oriented approaches and motor learning principles may enhance EMG-BFB efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a task-oriented EMG-BFB intervention.
- To improve peak ankle power and gait velocity in individuals with chronic mild to moderate hemiparesis.
Main Methods:
- Twenty participants were randomized into an EMG-BFB group or a control group receiving conventional therapy.
- EMG-BFB targeted the triceps surae during functional gait activities with fading feedback frequency and increasing task variability.
- Quantitative gait analysis was performed pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at a 6-week follow-up.
Main Results:
- The EMG-BFB group demonstrated significant increases in peak ankle power, gait velocity, and stride length (P < .01).
- These improvements were sustained at the 6-week follow-up.
- No significant changes in gait variables were observed in the control group.
Conclusions:
- Task-oriented EMG-BFB is an effective intervention for enhancing ankle power, gait velocity, and stride length in hemiparetic patients.
- Further research is recommended to explore this intervention in more impaired patient populations and compare it with its individual components.
