Assessment of walking, balance and sensorimotor performance of hemiparetic patients in the acute stage after stroke

The aims of the study were to assess the walking, balance and sensorimotor performance of hemiparetic patients in the acute stage (3-8 weeks) after stroke, and to determine the extent of correlation between these variables. Twenty-eight patients aged 55.0±9.3 years (mean±SD) with residual hemiparesis due to a first stroke were assessed. The average walking velocity for the 16 patients who were able to complete the 10-m walking test was 0.26 m/s, and they rated their difficulty in performing this test as ‘moderate’. The mean score (±SD) on the Berg Balance Scale was 23±16 and on the Fugl-Meyer Sensorimotor Assessment 153±36. Patients requiring a greater number of steps while walking 10 m tended to have lower extremity motor function and decreased balance function. Furthermore, patients with poorer balance had to exert themselves more when walking (rs = -0.73, P <0.01). The Berg Balance Scale and the ‘Balance’ subsection of the Fugl-Meyer Sensorimotor Assessment correlated significantly (r = 0.77, P <0.001). The results of this study indicate that the selected functional tests used are suitable measures to assess hemiparetic patients in the acute stage.