Effects of Ground Level Gait Training With Body Weight Support (BWS) and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES)

Ground-level Gait Training Combining Body Weight Support and Functional Electrical Stimulation in People Following Chronic Stroke

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of gait training on ground level, combining BWS and FES in people following chronic stroke.

The body weight support system (BWS) associated to a treadmill as well as to a functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the common peroneal nerve, has been proposed as a strategy for gait training in people following stroke. Moreover, it has also considered that the ground level is the most common locomotion surface, and that there is little information about the effects of gait training, on this kind of surface, in people with hemiparesis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Elapsed time since stroke longer than 6 months
• Spasticity classified under level 3 according to the Modified Ashworth Scale
• The ability to walk classified at levels 2, 3 or 4 according to the Functional Ambulation Category

Exclusion Criteria:

• Heart failure, angina pectoris, arrhythmias and other cardiovascular diseases
• Severe lung disease
• Orthopedic disorders
• Cognitive deficits