Abstract:
Many stroke survivors usually suffer from hemiplegia as stroke is considered to be the leading
cause of disability in long term. Hemiplegia is associated with deformities and gait disturbances,
which may cause difficulty in walking and there is an increased risk of falls. While many studies
have shown that ankle foot orthosis (AFO) is usually frequently prescribed to correct deformities
and it improves gait speed in hemiplegic stroke patients but the effect of combination therapy
which consists of balance exercises and AFO remains unclear. This study aimed to analyze the
effects combination therapy consisting of balance exercises and orthotic treatment on gait
parameters. RCT was conducted on thirty two 32 chronic stroke patients (n=32; age from 40-60
years; duration of stroke: 12-18 weeks). The patients were divided into two groups i.e. control
group and experimental group. Each subject in the control group received balance exercises for 4
weeks and each patient in the experimental group received combination therapy consisting of
balance exercises for hemiplegic lower limb and gait training was done with rigid ankle foot
orthosis (AFO) for 4 weeks. The Activities Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, Timed
Up and Go Test (TUG) and the 10 Meter Walk Test as a measure of functional ambulation were
evaluated before and after the combination therapy. Results showed that there was a marked
improvement in the findings of Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test, 10m Walk Test after the
intervention in the experimental group. Combination therapy which consisted of balance
exercises and orthotic treatment is therefore more effective than the balance exercises alone in
the improvement of gait of hemiplegic stroke patients.
