Comparison of Body Weight Support-Assisted Balance and Gait Training With or Without Balance Perturbations in Poststroke Rehabilitation: Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Impaired balance regulation after stroke puts patients and therapists at a heightened risk of injury during rehabilitation. Body weight support systems (BWSS) allow patients to safely conduct gait and balance training while minimizing risk and the fear of falling. Integrating perturbation-based balance training (PBT) modules with a BWSS may lead to further improvements.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a ceiling-track-mounted BWSS plus an integrated PBT (BWSS-P) module on the rehabilitation of stroke-related gait and balance impairments.

Methods

A multisite randomized active-comparator controlled trial was conducted. Inpatients with Berg Balance Scale (BBS) scores ≥21/56 were recruited from 4 sites. Participants completed 2-to-6 BWSS or

SUBMITTER: Grevelding P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12685234 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature