The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the effects of task-oriented gait-based circuit training and lower limb–centered resistance-based circuit training on lower limb muscle activity, walking ability, and activities of daily living in...
The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the effects of task-oriented gait-based circuit training and lower limb–centered resistance-based circuit training on lower limb muscle activity, walking ability, and activities of daily living in individuals with chronic stroke.
Fourteen individuals with chronic stroke who were hospitalized at a single institution participated in this study. Participants were assigned to either a task-oriented gait-based circuit training group (n=5) or a lower limb–centered resistance-based circuit training group (n=9). Both groups underwent circuit training interventions twice a week for eight weeks. Lower limb muscle activity was analyzed using surface electromyography (sEMG). Walking ability was assessed using the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) and the Korean version of the Dynamic Gait Index (K-DGI), and activities of daily living were evaluated using the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI). Intervention effects were analyzed by comparing pre- and post-intervention changes within each group and changes between the two groups.
The results showed that the task-oriented gait-based circuit training group demonstrated significant improvements in walking adaptability and activities of daily living after the intervention (p<.05), whereas no significant changes were observed in walking endurance or gait symmetry assessed by lower limb muscle activity (p>.05). In the lower limb–centered resistance-based circuit training group, walking adaptability and activities of daily living were significantly improved after the intervention (p<.05), while walking endurance did not show a statistically significant change, although a clinically meaningful improvement was observed. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in changes in lower limb muscle activity, walking adaptability, walking endurance, or activities of daily living (p>.05).
In conclusion, both task-oriented gait-based circuit training and lower limb–centered resistance-based circuit training can be effectively utilized as interventions to improve walking adaptability and activities of daily living in individuals with chronic stroke, and may be selectively applied according to patients’ functional characteristics and rehabilitation goals.