earticle

영어

Purpose: The study investigated the effect of combined balance exercise using visual feedback and balance pads in rehabilitation of chronic stroke patients. Methods: The participants were 30 patients diagnosed with stroke who met the study selection criteria. Participants were randomly divided into 3 groups of 10: a balance pad exercise (BPE) group, a visual feedback exercise (VFE) group, and a combined balance exercise (CBE) group. All three groups engaged in 30 minutes of exercise, 3 times per week, for 6 weeks. Results: Pre-test and post-test results were analyzed using the functional reach test (FRT), the Berg balance scale (BBS), the timed up & go test (TUG), and the Korean version of the activities-specific balance confidence (K-ABC) scale. The study yielded the following results. Pre- and post-program FRT measures showed significant differences between the BPE and CBE groups (p < 0.05). BBS, TUG, and K-ABC scores showed clear differences in all three groups. Secondly, the CBE group and the BPE group a differed significantly on the BBS before and after the 6-week program (p < 0.05). Finally, the CBE group and the VFE group differed significantly on the BBS before and after the 6-week program (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study results indicate that combined balance exercise improves balance more effectively than the balance pad and visual feedback exercises. This finding should help to improve rehabilitation in the future.