Impact of Step-Up Exercise Program over Conventional Exercise Program in Improving Gait in Stroke Patients: A Comparitive Study

NEED OF STUDY: Following a stroke attack a person with hemiparesis may be unable or reluctant to bear much weight through the paretic limb when significant paresis exists. Later on continued weight-bearing, asymmetry may continue and foster a further disuse despite the probability that improved motor function in the lower limb has occurred. It is expected that task specific step-up exercise program may improve the gait parameter in subjects with Stroke. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: 1. To compare the impact of task specific step up exercise program over conventional exercise program on step length of stroke patients. 2. To compare the impact of task specific step up exercise program over conventional exercise program on natural velocity of stroke patients. 3. To compare the impact of task specific step up exercise program over conventional exercise program on cadence of stroke patients. Participants: Experimental: 15 subjects with stroke receiving step-up exercise program. Control : 15 subjects with stroke receiving conventional exercise program. Study Design: Experimental Study Design. Population: All the well oriented and well co-operative Stroke subjects who fulfil the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Sample Size: 30 subjects from the population were selected by Convenient sample technique. Inclusion Criteria: • Both male and female Stroke Subjects. • Age between 45 to 65 years. • Able to walk 10 meters independently • Subjects with above Stage 3 of Brunnstrom’s stages in affected lower limb. • Subjects with ability to step up 6 high step stool in forward, backward and lateral directions. Exclusion Criteria: • Subjects with Cognitive or perceptual disorders. • Subjects with sensory impairments involving lower limbs. • Subjects with severe orthopedic and cardio respiratory disorder. • Subjects with Auditory or Visual impairment. METHODS: Experimental : forward step-up ,backward step-up and lateral step-up. Control : Weight bearing, single leg stance, Balance training. RESULTS: The results showed that experimental subjects have significant improvement in outcome measures than control subjects. CONCLUSION: From the results of the study it can be concluded that, the step-up exercise is more effective than the conventional exercise in stroke patients.