Keywords

body weight support, gait training, head injury, physical therapy, rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury, treadmill

Authors

1. Brown, Tracy H. PT
2. Mount, Julie PhD, PT
3. Rouland, Bethany L. PT
4. Kautz, Katherine A. MS, PT
5. Barnes, Renee M. PTA
6. Kim, Jihye MPT

Abstract

Objectives: To compare body weight support treadmill training (BWSTT) to conventional overground gait training (COGT).

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Residential rehabilitation center.

Participants: Twenty subjects with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Intervention: The BWSTT or COGT for 15 minutes plus 30 minutes of exercise 2 days per week, for 3 months.

Main Outcome Measures: Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), Functional Reach (FR), Timed Up and Go; gait velocity, step width (BOS) and step length differential using instrumented gait mat.

Results: Step width approached the norm without between-group differences. Step length differential improved significantly more for the COGT.

Conclusions: Physical therapy can improve gait for patients more than 6 years post-TBI. The COGT is more effective than the BWSTT for improving gait symmetry during overground walking.