황은옥¹,오덕원², 김선엽², 최종덕²

대전중앙병원 물리치료실¹, 대전대학교 보건스포츠과학대학 물리치료학과²

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of community-based adaptive ambulation training programs on the gait velocity of stroke patients indoors and in the community.
Methods: The study included 18 patients with chronic stroke symptoms randomly divided into experimental group (EG, n=9) or control group (CG, n=9). The EG participated in community-based adaptive training three times a week for four weeks, each training session lasting one hour. The assessments were based on indoor walking [10 m walking velocity, Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and 6-minute walk test], community ambulation (walking velocity in a parking lot, visiting banks, and at pedestrian crossings), and the stroke impact scale (SIS).
Results: The statistical analysis showed significant improvements in the 10 m walking velocity, TUG test, and 6-minute walk test after the four weeks in the EG (P<0.05), but not in the CG (P>0.05). In addition, the walking velocity of the EG improved significantly in the three community ambulation situations after the training (P<0.05). In the SIS, strength, hand function, and emotion domains showed significant improvements (P<0.05).
Conclusions: These findings suggest that community-based adaptive ambulation training can improve the indoor walking ability of patients with post-stroke hemiparesis as well as their community ambulation ability, which is closely related to quality of life. Further studies are necessary to generalize the findings of this study.
Korean J Health Promot 2010;10(2):78-85

Key Words: Stroke, Walking training, Community ambulation