Reduced sway during dual task balance performance among people with stroke at 6 and 12 months after discharge from hospital

Hyndman, Dorit, Pickering, Ruth M. and Ashburn, Ann (2009) Reduced sway during dual task balance performance among people with stroke at 6 and 12 months after discharge from hospital. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 23 (8), 847-854. (doi:10.1177/1545968309338192). (PMID:19556368)

Abstract

Background: cognitive motor interference has been linked to poor recovery and falls. Little is known about recovery of dual-task balance ability poststroke.

Methods: in this experimental study, postural sway was examined while standing on a force plate in preferred stance, with feet together, and with eyes closed, at 6 and 12 months postdischarge from hospital. Sway was assessed in isolation and while participants performed a cognitive (shopping list) task.

Results: seventy-six people with stroke (mean age 67 years; range, 21-91 years) took part. Fifty-four completed both assessments. When compared with the single task, sway during the dual-task condition was significantly lower in both the medial lateral (ML) and anterior posterior (AP) directions (both P < .0001). Sway in both directions was influenced by the difficulty of the balance task (both P < .0001). There was a trend of reduced sway at the 12-month assessment compared with the 6-month assessment: significant only in the ML direction (P = .0056). Repeat fallers swayed more than non—repeat fallers, with increases of 48% and 44% in the ML (P = .0262) and AP (P = .0134) directions, respectively. No significant variation in the dual-task reduction in sway was found: the dual-task effect was remarkably consistent over all the conditions tested, particularly in the AP direction.

Conclusions: sway decreased under dual-task conditions and changed as the difficulty of the balance task changed. Stroke fallers swayed more than nonfallers and there was evidence of a reduction in sway over time, particularly in the ML direction

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Contributors

Author: Dorit Hyndman

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