The Effects of Technology-Assisted Ankle Rehabilitation on Balance Control in Stroke Survivors

Many stroke survivors have impaired balance control. This study assesses the effects of ankle stretching exercising with our recently developed Motorized Ankle Stretcher (MAS) technology compared to exercising with a stretching board, on stroke survivors' balance control. Sixteen stroke survivors were randomly assigned to a control group (CG) and an intervention group (IG). The CG and IG performed ankle stretching exercises with the stretching board and MAS, respectively, two days per week for four consecutive weeks. Balance performance was assessed by a Sensory Organization Test (SOT) at the beginning of week 1 (pre-assessment), at the end of week 4 (post-assessment), and 1 month after week 4 (retention-assessment). Balance performance was quantified by a root-mean-square (RMS), range, and area of body's center of pressure (COP) data obtained by the SOT. The IG significantly improved COP RMS and COP range in the anterior-posterior direction at the post- and retention-assessments compared to the pre-assessment. The IG also significantly improved COP area at the retention-assessment compared to the pre-assessment. The improvements were not observed in the CG. The findings of this study have clinical implications since the MAS potentially could be used in both domestic and clinical settings.