The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of pelvic exercise on standing balance in patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury for healthy rehabilitation. 11 patients (8 men and 3 women) with levels of incomplete injury between cervical 3 and cervical 6 who were participated in a study measuring the standing balance using an interactive balance system (IBS) before and after pelvic exercise. The index of standing balance after pelvic exercise was significantly lower than before exercise in patients with incomplete cervical cord injury. The greatest improvements were observed in incomplete cervical spinal cord injury with neurologic levels of cervical 3 and 4 with Brown-Sequard syndrome. These results suggest that the pelvic exercise for rehabilitation significantly improved in part standing balance in patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury.

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of hippotherapy on standing balance in patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injuries. Ten patients (8 men and 2 women) who were diagnosed with cervical levels of injury between 3 and 6, and D according to the ASIA Impairment Scale. All patients were tested by the physiotherapists prior to and after hippotherapy treatment. Standing balance was measured using the Interactive Balance System (IBS). The weight distribution index was significantly increased in application of hippotherapy compared with control groups in patients with a neurologic level of cervical 3 and 4, and with Brown-Sequard syndrome, respectively. However, most of the patients exhibited no significant changes in the standing balance index, such as F1, F2-4, F5-6, F7-8, and SI scores, after hippotherapy. These results suggest that hippotherapy did not have a significant effect on the standing balance of patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injuries.

The purpose of this study was to compare walking conditions (straight line and curved path) on walking patterns in persons who had experienced hemiplegic stroke and to determine whether if they adapt their walking pattern and performances according to changes in environmental conditions. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Forty-four hemiplegic stroke survivors participated in this study. This study measured walking performance in three different walking conditions, such as straight walking, the more-affected leg in the inner curve walking, and less-affected leg in the inner curve walking conditions, and a 2-dimentional gait analysis system was used as a primary measurement. This study also measured secondary clinical factors including the Timed Up-and-Go Test, the Trunk Impairment Scale, and the Dynamic Gait Index. Results: After analyzing, cadence and step length of the less-affected side, stride length in the more-affected side, and stride length in less-affected side were significantly different among the three different walking conditions in this study (p<0.05), but other temporospatial parameters were not significant. Cadence was the largest in the straight walking condition. Step length in the less-affected side, stride length in the more-affected side, and stride length in less-affected side were also the longest in the straight walking condition. Conclusions: The results of the study suggest that hemiplegic stroke survivors show walking adaptability according to changes in walking demands and conditions, and moreover, cadence and step and stride lengths were significantly different between straight and curved walking conditions.

Objective: To investigate the association between one-leg standing ability and postural control for chronic hemiparetic stroke. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Forty individuals who had a first diagnosis of stroke with hemiparesis before six months and over had participated in this study. To analyze the relationship between one-leg standing ability and postural control in the participants, six clinical measurement tools were used for assessment, including the Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) test, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), 5 times sit-to-stand (5TSTS) and one-leg standing (OLS). Results: After analyzation, the OLS scores in the more-affected side showed significant positive correlations with BBS scores (r=0.469, p<0.01), DGI scores (r=0.459, p<0.01).and FMA scores (r=0.425, p<0.01). The OLS scores in the more-affected side showed significant negative correlations with TUG score (r=−0.351, p<0.05). The OLS score in the less-affected side showed significant positive correlations with BBS scores (r=0.485, p<0.01), DGI scores (r=0.488, p<0.01) and FMA score (r=0.352, p<0.05). The OLS scores in the less-affected side showed significant negative correlation with TUG scores (r=−0.392, p<0.05) and 5TSTS (r= −0.430, p<0.01). The OLS scores in the more-affected side showed significant positive correlations with the OLS scores in less-affected side (r=0.712, p<0.01). Conclusions: The results of the study suggest that the OLS time may be moderately correlated with static and dynamic postural stabilities and motor recovery following stroke. This study also suggests that the OLS test is as a simple clinical tool for predicting postural control performance for individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke.