Does physiotherapy based on the Bobath concept, in conjunction with a task practice, achieve greater improvement in walking ability in people with stroke compared to physiotherapy focused on structured task practice alone?:A pilot randomized controlled trial
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the short-term effects of two physiotherapy approaches for improving ability to walk in different environments following stroke: (i) interventions based on the Bobath concept, in conjunction with task practice, compared to (ii) structured task practice alone. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Two rehabilitation centres Participants: Twenty-six participants between four and 20 weeks post-stroke, able to walk with supervision indoors. INTERVENTIONS: Both groups received six one-hour physiotherapy sessions over a two-week period. One group received physiotherapy based on the Bobath concept, including one hour of structured task practice. The other group received six hours of structured task practice. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was an adapted six-minute walk test, incorporating a step, ramp and uneven surface. Secondary measures were gait velocity and the Berg Balance Scale. Measures were assessed before and after the intervention period. RESULTS: Following the intervention, there was no significant difference in improvement between the two groups for the adapted six-minute walk test (89.9 (standard deviation (SD) 73.1) m Bobath versus 41 (40.7) m task practice, P = 0.07). However, walking velocity showed significantly greater increases in the Bobath group (26.2 (SD 17.2) m/min versus 9.9 (SD = 12.9) m/min, P = 0.01). No significant differences between groups were recorded for the Berg Balance Scale (P = 0.2). CONCLUSION: This pilot study indicates short-term benefit for using interventions based on the Bobath concept for improving walking velocity in people with stroke. A sample size of 32 participants per group is required for a definitive study.
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- Authors
- Brock, K., Haase, G., Rothacher, G., & Cotton, S.
- Affiliations
- St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne (AU)
- Kliniken Schmieder (DE)
- ORYGEN Youth Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
- Corresponding author
- Brock, Kim
- ORCID
- Brock, Kim
- Venue
- Clinical Rehabilitation
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2011-07-25
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 903-912
- ISSN
- 0269-2155 (ISSN-L)
- 1477-0873
- OpenAlex
- W2153963338
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 3.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Clinical Rehabilitation (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention
- Keywords
- stroke, Bobath concept, task practice, gait rehabilitation, walking speed, 6-minute walk test, balance, post-stroke gait, physiotherapy intervention
- MeSH terms
- Stroke Rehabilitation, Female, Gait, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pilot Projects, Single-Blind Method, Walking, Physical Therapy Modalities
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