the effectiveness of lower-body positive pressure treadmill gait training on mobility function and quality of life in individuals with chronic stroke: prospective cohort study

Background: lower body positive pressure (lbpp) emerges for rehabilitation practice tool for athletic and orthopedic conditions. however, lbpp may provide an opportunity therapeutic intervention for gait training in neurological conditions. objectives: to assess the effectiveness of lbpp gait training on ambulation ability, gait speed, walking endurance, dynamic and static balance, and quality of life in individuals with chronic stroke. methods: participants performed lbpp gait training three days a week for six weeks. the main outcome measures were functional ambulation categories (fac), 10-meter walk test (10-mwt), 6 minutes walking test (6mwt), timed up and go (tug), functional reach test (frt), and short-form (sf-36) health survey. results: nine chronic stroke (one female, eight males) aged 57 ± 15.4 years with stroke since 4.8 ± 3.9 years participated in lbpp gait training. participants showed significant improvement in fac (pre, 4 ± 2; post, 5 ± 1; p = 0.034); 10-mwt (pre, 16.35 ± 9.34 s; post, 13.25 ± 7.57 s; p = 0.021) and 6 mwt (pre, 166.22 ± 94.15; post, 206.66 ± 103.64; p = 0.048). no significant differences were observed in the other outcomes. conclusions: six weeks of lbpp gait training may potentially improve ambulation ability, gait speed, and walking endurance in individuals with chronic stroke.