| Summary: | [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between muscle
activity and gait function following aquatic trunk exercise in hemiplegic stroke patients.
[Subjects and Methods] This study’s participants included thirteen hemiplegic patients
(ten males and three females). The aquatic therapy consisted of administering
concentrative aquatic therapy for four weeks in a therapeutic pool. Gait parameters were
measured using a gait analysis system adjusted to each subject’s comfortable walking
speed. Electromyographic signals were measured for the rectus abdominis, external
abdominal oblique, transversus abdominis/internal-abdominal oblique, and erector spine of
each patients. [Results] The pre- and post-training performances of the transversus
abdominis/internal-abdominal oblique were compared statistically. There was no statistical
difference between the patients’ pre- and post-training values of maximal voluntary
isometric contraction of the rectus abdominis, but the external abdominal oblique values
tended to improve. Furthermore, gait factors improved significantly in terms of walking
speeds, walking cycles, affected-side stance phases, affected-stride lengths, and
stance-phase symmetry indices, respectively. [Conclusion] These results suggest that the
trunk exercise during aquatic therapy may in part contribute to clinically relevant
improvements in muscle activities and gait parameters.
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