| Summary: | [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of underwater
treadmill gait training on the balance ability of stroke patients. [Subjects] Twenty-two
patients with stroke were randomly assigned to an underwater treadmill group (n =11) or a
control group (n =11). [Methods] Both groups received general rehabilitation for 30 min
per session, 5 times per week, over a 4-week period. The underwater treadmill group
received additional underwater gait training for 30 min per session, 5 times per week,
over the same 4-week period. Static and dynamic balances were evaluated before and after
the intervention. [Results] The means of static and dynamic balance ability increased
significantly in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the two
groups. [Conclusion] Compared to the general rehabilitation program, underwater treadmill
gait training was not more effective at improving the balance ability of stroke patients
than land-based training.
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