Characteristics of muscle activity during assisted gait in a severe stroke patient with ankle-foot orthosis

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to clarify the factors related to the characteristics of lower limb muscle activity during backward-assisted gait in severe post-stroke patients receiving gait assistance. Ten physical therapists performed backward-assisted gait on one post-stroke patient wearing an ankle-foot orthosis designed for the patient, and gait parameters and electromyography were recorded during the gait to examine the associations. Lower limb muscle activity during backward-assisted gait varied significantly among physical therapists, particularly in the amplitude of medial gastrocnemius muscle activity during the 40-50％ phase of the gait cycle, which was significantly associated with the trailing limb angle (ρ＝0.818, p＝0.007). Conversely, trailing limb angle was not associated with therapist height, career years or gait parameters. These findings provide useful insights for designing intervention guidelines to increase medial gastrocnemius muscle activity during backward-assisted gait in severe post-stroke patients.