Effects of task-specific paretic ankle plantar flexor training on walking in a stroke patient: a single-case study

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of task-specific plantar flexor training on walking ability indices in a patient with a paretic ankle. [Subject and Methods] The subject was a 65-year-old male patient with right hemiplegia due to a left medullary ventral infarction. An ABA' single-subject design was adopted. The independent variable was a task-specific plantar flexor training exercise, similar to that during walking, targeting the paretic ankle. The dependent variables were the isometric ankle plantar flexor strength, maximum walking speed, step length, and trailing limb angle in the paretic terminal stance phase. The B study phase was divided into B1 and B2 phases. A two standard-deviation-band method was used to evaluate improvement. [Results] Improvements in the paretic plantar flexor strength, maximum walking speed, step length, and trailing limb angle in the B2 phase were observed. The improvements in the maximum walking speed, step length, and trailing limb angle were sustained in the A' study phase. [Conclusion] These results suggest that task-specific plantar flexor training exercise is efficacious in improving the walking ability index of a paretic ankle.