Effects of treadmill training on gait in a hemiparetic patient

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of treadmill training on temporal-distance gait variables. An A-B-A treatment-withdrawal, single-subject experimental design was used on a hemiparetic patient who was 3 years post-injury. The inked footprint method was used to obtain the variables of walking velocity, cadence, base of support, stride length, and step length. Treatment was a maximum of 10 minutes on a motorized treadmill without elevation at a comfortable walking speed. Data collection for all three phases (A-B-A) and treadmill training during the treatment phase were performed three times per week for 3 weeks. Data were analyzed using a celeration line approach and a C statistic. Treatment was found to affect the base of support and right step length. An increase in symmetry between right and left step length was apparent after treadmill training. There was no effect on right or left stride length, left step length, cadence, or walking velocity. The results indicate improvement in some aspects of gait with treadmill training in the patient studied. Further research is needed to confirm the generalizability of these findings and to identify which patients might benefit from treadmill training.