The Effects of reactive and voluntary step training on balance recovery during lateral perturbation in individuals with chronic stroke

Abstract

Falls have been reported as high as 73% in community dwelling individuals following a stroke. Many falls happen while transferring weight laterally. To guard against loss of balance with this lateral weight transfer a reactive, protective step is commonly used to recover balance. Current rehabilitation practices mainly focus on intentional voluntary actions to improve balance control which may not carry-over to the development of protective stepping strategies to avoid a fall. Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of six weeks of reactive versus voluntary step training on balance recovery during lateral perturbations in individuals with chronic stroke