Therapeutic exercise methods for improving balance and speed in gait for chronic stroke patients : A Narrative Literature Review

Abstract

The aim of this thesis was to shed light on methods for enhancing walking speed and balance in stroke survivors. Conducted as a narrative literature review, the primary research question guiding this exploration was: 'Which therapeutic exercise method is most effective in improving balance and speed for stroke patients?' To address this overarching question, the thesis was organized into chapters, each dedicated to answering specific sub-research questions.

The thesis provides a comprehensive overview and comparison of existing knowledge and research on the subject. Through this narrative literature review, readers can discern relevant therapeutic exercise methods for practical application or informational purposes. To ensure the inclusion of recent and pertinent studies, the inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to clinical trials conducted from 2005 to 2023.

This review incorporates findings from ten studies focused on investigating the effects of therapeutic exercise methods on walking speed and balance in chronic stroke patients. Upon analyzing and comparing the results of these studies, the thesis concludes that walking-specific therapeutic exercise methods represent task-specific improvements. In contrast to other therapeutic exercise methods that merely show correlations, walking-specific approaches prove to be more effective in enhancing both walking and balance for chronic stroke patients.