Abstract

Background. Not only may early cognitive rehabilitation help stroke patients with their cognitive impairment, but it can also help patients restore their capabilities to do everyday activities. There isn’t much data on how cognitive training affects spatiotemporal gait variables in stroke survivors.

Objective. To examine the impact of cognitive training on selected gait parameters in stroke patients.

Subjects and Methods.  Forty male and female patients with mild ischemic chronic stroke, ranging in age from 45 to 60 years, were recruited and distributed into two equal groups at random (G1 and G2). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MOCA) and the Rehacom system were utilized to evaluate the patient’s cognitive function. The Biodex gait trainer device was utilized to measure several gait variables for all patients. Rehacom cognitive training and a selected physiotherapy program were administered to the study group (G1). The similar selected physiotherapy program utilized for the G1 was applied to the control group (G2). For eight weeks, the treatment was administrated three sessions each week, day after day. All variables were evaluated before- and after-intervention.

Results. The step length and walking speed, as well as the MOCA scale score of G1, were significantly higher after treatment than those of G2 (p = 0.001). The correlation between step length and median reaction time (MRT) was moderate negative significant correlation (r = – 0.698, p = 0.001).

Conclusion. Cognitive training has a beneficial impact on improving the selected spatiotemporal gait parameters in stroke patients.

Keywords

stroke, cognitive training, gait parameters, MOCA. spatiotemporal parameters