The purpose of this study is to explore an alternative approach that emphasizes task specificity and treadmill training for ambulation training of these patients.

Restoration of independent ambulatory ability is one of the most common functional goals of patients with hemiplegia after stroke. Ambulation training, therefore, is an important part of physical therapy intervention for these patients. Conventional neurologic physical therapy for ambulation training, based sorely on neurophysiology, prohibits early ambulation experience after stroke in attempt to avoid the development of abnormal gait patterns. Such an approach has been shown to be limited in helping these patients regain independent ambulatory ability.

Inclusion Criteria:

• between 40 and 75 years old
• first stroke with R't side hemiplegia due to middle cerebral artery occlusion and received acute treatment at NTUH
• being willing to sign an informed consent approved by the Human Subjects Committee of the National Taiwan University Hospital
• able to ambulate independently in parallel bars and having no independent ambulation ability outside parallel bars

Excursion criteria:

• having unstable vital sign, unconsciousness, or obvious cognitive, perception, and language impairment, and couldn't communicate with the experimenters
• having other neurological diseases, or moderate to severe neuromuscular or musculoskeletal or cardiovascular disorders, or disorders from systematic diseases other than stroke