A Comparative Study on Clinical Gait Abilities of Stroke Patients According to Indoor and Outdoor Environments

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to compare gait ability through gait evaluations in indoor and outdoor environments according to the general characteristics and walking ability of stroke patients. Design: Crossed-sectional study. Methods:The subjects of this study were 57 hospitalized stroke patients.The study subjects were asked to select an indoor environment and an outdoor environment in random order, and the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), Figure-Eight Walk Test (F8WT) and the Functional Gait Assessment (FGA) were used to assess each environment. Results: The TUG, 10MWT, F8WT time and number of steps, and FGA showed a significant decrease in gait ability in the outdoor environment compared to the indoor environment (p＜0.05). Although the TUG, 10MWT, and the time required for the F8WT were statistically higher in the outdoor compared to the indoor environment at points 2, 3, and 4, but not 5 of the functional ambulatory category (FAC), significant increases in the number of steps of the F8WT were found in the outdoor compared to the indoor environment for only points 2 and 3 of the FAC (p＜0.05). In the FAC 3 and 4, there was a statistically significant decrease in the outdoor compared to the indoor environment only in the FGA (p＜0.05). Conclusions: Therefore, it has been shown that the gait ability of stroke patients is reduced in the outdoor environment compared to the gait ability in the indoor environment.