Effectiveness of body weight-supported gait training on balance function of stroke patient

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify the effectiveness of body weight- supported gait training on balance function of stroke patients. Objective: To find out the effectiveness of body weight- supported gait training on balance function of stroke patients. Methodology: The study was designed a Quasi Experimental study design. From, April 2023 to July 2023, 30 people with stroke were participated in this study from Outdoor Neurology and Stroke Rehabilitation Unit, Department of Physiotherapy, Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), Savar, Dhaka. Those 30 patients were allocated based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The age range was under 65 years old. They received 12 sessions of treatment for 4 weeks. A structured questionnaire had used for socio-demographic information. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Time UP and Go test (TUG) were used in the study to see the effectiveness in the pretest and posttest values of balance. Descriptive statistics using SPSS software version 25.0 were used for data analysis. Inferential statistics has been performed through Wilcoxon tests. Results: The finding of the study was carried out by using Wilcoxon test, Microsoft Excel and scientific calculator. Gender distribution was male 63% and female 37%. The mean age among 30 participants was 46.40 years. Among 30 participants 63.3% had right side affected and 36.7% had left side. The mean score of Berg Balance Scale was 28.73±11.004 to 38.77±9.141 and mean difference was 10.04 (p=0.001) which was significant. Another result of the mean score of Time Up and Go test was 23.83±4.316 sec to 16.77±4.023 which was decreased and mean difference of was 7.06 Sec (p= 0.001) which indicated the result was significant and improvement of balance of stroke patient. Conclusion: The study concluded as body weight-supported gait training is effective in balance function of stroke patient. Small amount of sample was included in this study and time duration was also limited. For future studies, needs a plan to conduct Randomized Control Trial within two groups (Control & Trial group) and maintaining the double blinding procedure. Keywords: Stroke, Balance, Berg Balance Scale, Physiotherapy