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Balance Training After Stroke - a Randomized, Controled Pilot Study

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Stroke
Interventions
Other: individual balance training
Other: group balance training
Registration Number
NCT03791671
Lead Sponsor
RehaClinic AG
Brief Summary

This pilot study is part of a master's thesis. In the rehabilitation of stroke patients should be compared whether individual balance training has a greater effect than group balance training. The result is determined based on the walking speed.

Detailed Description

The RehaClinic Kilchberg is a neurological rehabilitation facility with the phases B-D. Between February and the end of March, out of 78 patients, 71% of the patients had a stroke. Therefore, my choice of topic for the Master's thesis fell on balance training of patients after a stroke. The duration of the study is based on the timetable for the Master's thesis. Initially, 20 stroke patients will be recruited. When the number is reached, the study is completed to begin descriptive statistics and analyze potential BIAS.

Deficits in the vestibular, visual, motor, and / or somatosensory systems lead to falls in the first 6 months after the stroke. This affects approximately 46% of patients. But also cognitive processes, such as attention and concentration. Therefore, the treatment must be adapted to the respective strategy of the patient. If the patient increasingly uses the visual system, the therapy has to work a lot with the eyes closed. In turn, if he uses more of the sensorimotor system is increasingly trained with unstable documents. After this system, the balance program was set up. It is the same for the intervention and control group to make a difference between individual and group training.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
7
Inclusion Criteria
  • stroke starting from Rehabilitation phase B
  • ability to understand therapy instructions
  • walkable with aids
Exclusion Criteria
  • Neurodegenerative disease
  • non-stroke dizziness
  • cardiopulmonary insufficiency
  • polyneuropathy
  • peripheral vascular disease

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
individual balance trainingindividual balance trainingAfter the initial assessments, the three week intervention time begins, which is completed with the reassessments. The patients receive 2x weekly individual balance training for 25 minutes each. This runs in addition to the normal, prescribed rehabilitation program. The rehabilitation program includes at least 3 therapies daily. These may be group therapies, speech therapy, occupational therapy, neuropsychology and physiotherapy adapted to the needs of the patient. In physiotherapy and occupational therapy no balance training will be performed during the intervention period.
group balance traininggroup balance trainingThe patients receive 2x weekly group balance training for 25 minutes each. This runs in addition to the normal, prescribed rehab program. The rehabilitation program includes at least 3 therapies daily. These may be group therapies, speech therapy, occupational therapy, neuropsychology and physiotherapy adapted to the needs of the patient. In physiotherapy and occupational therapy no balance training will be performed during the intervention period. In group therapy are 3 to 6 patients with different neurological diagnoses. As it is usual in rehabilitation everyday life.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change of the walking speed at three weeksMeasurement one day before and one day after the three weeks intervention time, Data analysis through study completion

10m walking test

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change of the balance score at three weeksMeasurement one day before and one day after the three weeks intervention time, Data analysis through study completion

The Berg Balance Scale is used to determine the risk of falling. The BBS detects deficits at both activity and body function levels. It consists of 14 items. Some items require that the patient maintains positions of increasing difficulty, from sitting to standing on one leg. Other items evaluate the ability to perform specific tasks, such as reaching forward, turning around and picking up an object from the floor. Scoring is based on the ability to meet certain time or distance requirements and to perform the items independently. Scaling takes place from 0 points (not possible) to 4 points (independently possible). This results in a total score of 56 points. The cut-off is at 45 points.

Change of the Walking ability (walking aid) at three weeksMeasurement one day before and one day after the three weeks intervention time, Data analysis through study completion

Functional Ambulation categories - is a functional walking test that evaluates ambulation ability. This 6-point scale assesses ambulation status by determining how much human support the patient requires when walking, regardless of whether or not they use a personal assistive device. To use the FAC, an assessor asks the subject various questions and briefly observes their walking ability to provide a rating from 0 to 5. A score of 0 indicates that the patient is a non-functional ambulator (cannot walk); A score of 1, 2 or 3 denotes a dependent ambulator who requires assistance from another person in the form of continuous manual contact (1), continuous or intermittent manual contact (2), or verbal supervision/guarding (3). A score of 4 or 5 describes an independent ambulator who can walk freely on: level surfaces only (4) or any surface (5=maximum score).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

RehaClinic Kilchberg

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Kilchberg, Zurich, Switzerland

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