| Summary: | [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of stair walking
training on balance ability of chronic stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Forty
stroke patients were allocated equally and randomly to an experimental group and a control
group. The experimental group undertook 30 minutes of training therapy and 30 minutes of
walking exercise on stairs with flat surfaces. The control group undertook 30 minutes went
of training therapy and 30 minutes of walking exercise on a flat surface. All the
participants had five training sessions each week for four weeks. A Biorescue system was
used to measure the weight-bearing footprint, anterior length in the limit of stability,
posterior length in the limit of stability, surface area ellipse of Romberg, and length of
Romberg before and after the training. [Results] With regard to changes in the
weight-bearing footprint, the anterior length in the limit of stability, and the posterior
length in the limit of stability, there were significant differences on both the paretic
and nonparetic sides, and there were also significant differences in the surface area
ellipse of Romberg and length of Romberg after the intervention. [Conclusion] The
experiment results showed that walking exercise on stairs is effective in enhancing
balance performance. The same exercise can be applied to patients with other types of
neurological disorders to improve their balance.
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