Effects of a Community-based Group Rehabilitation Program for Dynamic Balance and Mobility Post Stroke

Summary

Stroke patients clearly benefit from intensive and coordinated inpatient care. While inpatient rehabilitation care is the preferred form for many patients post-stroke, due to access and financial barriers, many patients do not have this option. Community, outpatient rehabilitation programs will allow the patients with moderately disabling strokes the opportunity to maintain or augment gains achieved during inpatient stroke rehabilitation , while allowing some patients with mild disability to avoid inpatient rehabilitation completely.

Objective: Phase 1 randomized control trial to test the efficiency and effectiveness of treating adults who have suffered a single stroke using the following essential treatment components; a) community setting, b) group activity program, c) flexible, task-specific, computer-based exercise regime This program is designed to allow an extension of the in-patient rehabilitation experience to a community-based setting, in a cost-effective manner using paraprofessional staff and rehabilitation specialists, to provide a challenging, functional program to promote recovery and independence from physical impairments affecting balance and walking.

The specific objectives are to:

1. assess the benefits and feasibility of the multi-functional group exercise intervention for balance and mobility in a community setting. Secondary objectives
2. identify effective combinations of exercises \& activities that translate to increased abilities and participation levels.

Hypothesis: Intense training targeting standing balance, and walking will significantly improve stroke clients' functional mobility. Training in a group setting and incorporating interactive and engaging computer gaming further provides the benefits of motivation and peer support while providing treatment in a cost effective manner.

Conditions

• Sequelae of Stroke

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

conventional physical therapy

will receive a conventional out-patient program which will include: lower extremity stretching and strengthening exercise; fitness using cycle ergometer; balance exercises in standing; over ground walking and stair exercises

BEHAVIORAL

community-based group rehabilitation

Group training will include different workstations to target dynamic standing balance and walking. The key features includes facilitate repetition of task-related movements, tailored to the patient and patient's goals, in a meaningful context. Specifically: * Advanced dynamic tasks, including stepping and other transitional tasks to treadmill \& over ground walking) with use of various inexpensive exercise "assistive" equipment such as mini-exercise stepper or elliptical machines. * Treadmill walking exercise program.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Manitoba Medical Service Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Manitoba

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Tony Szturm Szturm, PT, PhD · Faculty of Medicine University of Manitoba

• Sepideh Pooyania, MD · Faculty of Medicine University of Manitoba

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

55 Years

Max Age

70 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2013-04-30

Primary Completion

2015-09-30

Completion

2015-09-30

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations