Immediate effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation with tempo changes on gait in stroke patients

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tempo changes in rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on gait in stroke patients. [Subjects] Forty-one chronic stroke patients who had had a stroke with more than 6 months previously were recruited for this study. [Methods] All participants were asked to walk under 5 different conditions in random order: (1) no RAS (baseline); (2) baseline-matched RAS (0%); and (3) -10%, (4) +10%, and (5) +20% of the baseline. A GAITRite system was used to evaluate the spatial and temporal parameters of gait. [Results] Compared with under the RAS 0% conditions, the gait velocity, cadence, and stride length on the affected side were significantly decreased under the RAS -10% conditions. Gait velocity and cadence were significantly improved, but gait symmetry was significantly decreased under the RAS +10% and +20% conditions compared with under the RAS 0% conditions. [Conclusion] A faster RAS tempo significantly improved gait velocity and cadence, and applying RAS significantly improved the gait symmetry of stroke patients.