Effects of a Task-Oriented Exercise Program on Balance in Patients with Hemiplegia Following Stroke

Background: One of the most common disabilities after stroke is impaired balance, so improving balance is essential for performing daily activities through rehabilitation.A task-oriented exercise program is an effective approach to improving balance. Objectives:The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a task-oriented exercise program on balance in patients with hemiplegia following stroke.Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted between October 2015 and January 2016, and 20 Iranian patients with hemiplegia following stroke were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 10) and control groups (n = 10).The experimental group received a 4-week task-oriented exercise program, and the control group received 4-week conventional physiotherapy, respectively.The patients were evaluated before and after the exercise intervention.Clinical measures included the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) while laboratory measures included the plantar pressure distribution, the center of pressure path length (COP path length), and the center of pressure confidence ellipse area (COP area).Results: Significant improvement was observed in the BBS after completion of the exercise program in both the experimental and the control groups (50.5 ± 1.08 and 46.8 ± 3.96, P < 0.05, respectively).Significant improvement was showed in the COP path length and area after the task-oriented exercise program (171.14 ± 52.15 and 65.44 ± 69.79, P < 0.01, respectively).The COP area also improved after completion of conventional therapy (114.9 ± 88.99, P < 0.05), but the COP path length in the conventional therapy group and the plantar pressure distribution in both groups were not improved significantly after treatment (P > 0.05).The BBS, COP path length, and COP area improved significantly in the experimental group compared to the control group following intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusions:A task-oriented exercise program is associated with an improvement in balance in patients with hemiplegia following stroke.