Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026
Walk with Me Hybrid Virtual/In-Person Walking for Older Adults with Neurodegenerative Disease
Published on: June 16, 2023
The Improvement of Walking Ability Following Stroke
Jan Mehrholz1, Marcus Pohl, Joachim Kugler
1Gesundheitswissenschaften/Public Health, Medical Faculty, Technical University of Dresden; SRH Hochschule für Gesundheit, University of Applied Health Sciences; Helios Klinik Schloss Pulsnitz.
Background:
Gait velocity and maximum walking distance are central parameters for measuring the success of rehabilitation of gait after a stroke. The goal of this study was to provide an overview of current evidence on the rehabilitation of gait after a stroke.
Methods:
A systematic review of randomized, controlled trials was carried out using network meta-analysis. The primary endpoint was gait velocity; secondary end- points were the ability to walk, maximum walking distance, and gait stability. The following interventions were analyzed: no gait training, conventional gait training (reference category), training on a treadmill with or without body weight support, training on a treadmill with or without a speed paradigm, and electromechanically assisted gait training with end-effector or exoskeleton apparatus.
Results:
The systematic search yielded 40 567 hits. 95 randomized, controlled trials involving a total of 4458 post-stroke patients were included in the meta-analysis. With respect to the primary endpoint of gait velocity, gait training assisted by end- effector apparatus led to significant improvement (mean difference [MD] = 0.16 m/s; 95% confidence interval [0.04; 0.28]). None of the other interventions improved gait velocity to any significant extent. With respect to one of the secondary endpoints, maximum walking distance, both gait training assisted by end-effector apparatus and treadmill training with body weight support led to significant improvement (MD = 47 m, [4; 90], and MD = 38 m, [4; 72], respectively). A network meta-analysis could not be performed with respect to the ability to walk (a different secondary endpoint) because of substantial inconsistencies in the data. The interventions did not differ significantly with respect to safety.
Conclusion:
In comparison to conventional gait rehabilitation, gait training assisted by end-effector apparatus leads to a statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in gait velocity and maximum walking distance after stroke, while treadmill training with body weight support leads to a statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in maximum walking distance.
More Related Videos
10:45The Mouse Stroke Unit Protocol with Standardized Neurological Scoring for Translational Mouse Stroke Studies
Published on: February 7, 2025
10:15Utilizing Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Improve Language Function in Stroke Patients with Chronic Non-fluent Aphasia
Published on: July 2, 2013
Related Concept Videos
01:27Regulation of Stroke Volume
Preload refers to the degree of stretch on the heart before it contracts. It's analogous to the stretching of a rubber band; the more it's stretched, the more forcefully it snaps back. This concept is encapsulated in the Frank-Starling law of the...
02:07Improving Translational Accuracy
02:07Improving Translational Accuracy
01:11Cardiac Output and Stroke Volume
In an average resting adult male, the typical cardiac...
01:22Cardiac Output II: Effect of Stroke Volume on Cardiac Output
Preload
Preload refers to the initial elongation of the cardiac myocytes before contraction and is related to the volume of blood filling the heart at the end of diastole, or end-diastolic volume. The...
02:57The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison