Clinical Feasibility of Integrating Fast-Tempo Auditory Stimulation with Self-Adopted Walking Training for Improving Walking Function in Post-Stroke Patients: A Randomized, Controlled Pilot Trial

Abstract

Abstract.[Purpose] This study tested the clinical feasibility of using fast-tempo auditory stimulation (FTAS) incorporated into self-adopted walking training for improving walking function in patients with post-stroke hemiparesis.[Subjects] A total of 26 patients volunteered for the study and were randomly allocated to either the experimental group (EG) or the control group (CG), with 13 patients in each group.[Methods] The patients in the EG received 30-minute self-adopted walking training with FTAS twice a day, five days a week for two weeks. Walking speed, number of steps, and Wisconsin gait scale were measured before and after intervention.[Results] Significant differences between pre-test and post-test were found for all variables in the EG; however, only the number of steps was affected in the CG. A post-test comparison of the 2 groups revealed significant differences in all variables. The improvement rate for all variables was significantly higher for the EG than the CG. [Conclusion] These findings support the clinical use of FTAS integration into walking training as an efficient option for improving walking function in patients with post-stroke hemiparesis.

Walking training with cueing of cadence improves walking speed and stride length after stroke more than walking training alone: a systematic review

“…Cueing of cadence was delivered via metronome beats in two trials, 21,22 via music beats in three trials, 14,18,23 and via music enhanced by metronome beats in two trials. 8,9 Participants undertook training for 10 to 30 minutes, once or twice a day, three to five times per week, for 3 to 6 weeks.…”

“…8,9 More recently, Wittner et al 12 concluded that there is moderate evidence that rhythmic auditory cueing improves walking speed and step length, but insufficient evidence of its effect on cadence and symmetry, based on three trials. 8,9,14 Two systematic reviews have examined the effect of exercise after stroke, which reported results on rhythmic auditory cueing separately. van Peppen et al 15 reported a standardised mean difference (SMD) of 0.91 (95% CI 0.40 to 1.42) on walking speed and 0.68 (95% CI 0.06 to 1.30) on step length, based on three trials, 8,13,16 whereas more recently, Veerbeek et al 17 reported a non-significant SMD of 0.6 (95% CI -1.8 to 3.0) on walking speed and 0.15 (95% CI -1.4 to 1.7) on stride length, based on two trials of early rehabilitation.…”

Human-in-the-loop Auditory Cueing Strategy for Gait Modification

“…In a clinical setting, the gait velocity and stride length can be manually measured using standard clinical tests. In [12], the patient's velocity is measured by timing a 10-meter walk test and the stride length is calculated by counting the number of steps taken in 20 meters. There are also technologies to help automate the process.…”

Effects of trunk rotation induced treadmill gait training on gait of stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial

“…To maintain a functional and repetitive gait pattern, it is important to not only increase stride length but also to recover gait symmetry 1 ) . However, hemiplegic patients have a problem with gait symmetry due to the asymmetry of the lower limbs and restrictions to the movements in the upper extremity of the paretic side during gait 2 ) .…”