Comparison of Body Weight Support-Assisted Balance and Gait Training With or Without Balance Perturbations in...

Area of Science:

• Neurorehabilitation
• Biomechanics
• Physical Therapy

Background:

• Impaired balance regulation post-stroke increases injury risk during rehabilitation.
• Body weight support systems (BWSS) facilitate safe gait and balance training.
• Integrating perturbation-based balance training (PBT) with BWSS may enhance recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a ceiling-track-mounted BWSS with an integrated PBT module (BWSS-P) on gait and balance impairments in stroke survivors.
• To compare the effectiveness of BWSS-P versus BWSS alone in stroke rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• A multisite randomized controlled trial involving 99 inpatients with stroke and moderate balance impairment (Berg Balance Scale scores ≥21/56).
• Participants underwent 2-6 sessions of either BWSS or BWSS-P, with the latter group receiving 8 balance perturbations per session.
• Outcome measures included Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale, and 10 Meter Walk Test (10MWT).

Main Results:

• Both BWSS and BWSS-P groups demonstrated significant within-group improvements in all assessed outcomes (P≤.001).
• No significant between-group differences were observed for the primary outcome, BBS (P=0.21), or secondary outcomes, ABC scale (P=.55) and 10MWT (P=.04).

Conclusions:

• While no significant differences emerged between the groups, both BWSS and BWSS-P interventions led to comparable improvements in gait and balance for stroke survivors.
• The novel BWSS-P technology is a promising option for gait and balance recovery, particularly for individuals with impaired balance or fear of falling.
• BWSS-P positively contributed to overall rehabilitation outcomes and warrants consideration as a viable treatment modality.