Core Stability Exercises Yield Multiple Benefits for Patients With Chronic Stroke

Objective This study examined the effect of core stability exercises on trunk control, core muscle strength, standing weight-bearing symmetry, and balance confidence of people with chronic stroke. Design This was an assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial involving 84 ambulatory patients with middle cerebral artery stroke, randomly assigned to three training groups. Two experimental groups practiced core stability exercises either on stable or on unstable support surfaces. In contrast, the control group received standard physiotherapy. All the participants underwent an hour-long training session a day, thrice a week over a 6-wk duration, and followed-up after 12 mos. Trunk Impairment Scale, core muscle strength, weight-bearing asymmetry in standing, and Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale were the outcome measures. Results Compared with the control group, the two experimental groups demonstrated a significant improvement on all the outcome measures from baseline to posttraining and from baseline to 12-mo follow-up ( P < 0.001). The two experimental groups demonstrated no significant difference between them on all the measures ( P > 0.05). Conclusions Core stability exercises on stable and unstable support surfaces are equally beneficial in improving trunk control, core muscle strength, standing weight-bearing symmetry, and balance confidence of ambulatory patients with chronic stroke than the standard physiotherapy.