Effect of intensive task-oriented balance practice on functional balance and mobility in chronic stroke patients

One of the most common defects after stroke is deficit in trunk control and balance which can lead to disability or dependency in many functional activities in life. Many therapeutic approacheswere used in the stroke rehabilitation، but there is not any unique accepted approach in this field yet. However there are many evidences that show task-oriented practice for neuro-movement rehabilitation can be efficient. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of intensive task-oriented balance practices on functional balance and mobility in patients with chronic stroke. This was an interventional - quasi-experimental study on 13 patients (4 women، 9 men، mean age 55. 07 ± 8. 41) with chronic stroke which were selected according to inclusion criteria. The intervention included 10 days of intensive practice during 2 weeks، 5 days per week and 3 hours a day. The assessments (Berg Balance Scale، Time Up-Go) were performed before and after the intervention. Intensive task-oriented balance training in patients with chronic stroke significantly increased the functional balance (p=0. 005) and reduced the time of functional mobility (p=0. 001) The results showed that intensive task-oriented balance training can improve functional balance and functional mobility. Because this study was done only in one group، conducting more studies with appropriate control group is suggested. it is recommended to follow up the long lasting effects of training.