earticle

영어

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different weight load locations on the muscle activity in the trunk and lower extremities and gait ability of stroke patients during gait training. This study was conducted on 25 stroke patients hospitalized at the S General Hospital in Cheongju City. The weight load was applied to the wrists, ankles, and trunks of the paralyzed side or both sides of stroke patients. Sandbags, a weight-load device, were applied with weights ranging from 1 kg to 5 kg, commensurate with the patient's ability before intervention. For the torso weight load group using a weight vest, the quantum of the weight was adjusted by increasing the weight by 1 kg from the base weight of 20 kg according to the patient's ability. This study evaluated gait ability (velocity, cadence, stride length) through a pre-intervention test and muscle activity (external oblique muscle, internal oblique muscle, erector spinae muscle, gluteus medius muscle, and the rectus femoris muscle) measured through surface electromyography (EMG) equipment. After the 4-week intervention, a post-test was conducted in the same way as the pre-test to observe the change before and after the intervention. The results showed that when gait training was performed by applying a weight load to the affected ankle and trunk, the muscle activity of the trunk and lower limb muscles and walking ability significantly increased. In addition, it was observed that both muscle activity and gait ability were significantly increased when the weight load was applied to the affected wrist and ankle compared to the application of the weight load to both wrists and ankles. These results will be useful as base data in future clinical practice for determining the appropriate position to apply the weight load when performing gait training in stroke patients.