Effects of shoe lift on weight bearing in stroke patients.

Objectives: To determine the effect of shoe lift, cueing and cueing with shoe lift on weight bearing in paretic leg of stroke hemiparetic patients and compare the effect between each condition.

Design: Cross-sectional experimental study.

Setting: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Department of Ear Nose and Throat, Faculty of Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Chulalongkorn University.

Subject: Ten hemiparetic patients as a result of unilateral stroke.

Material And Method: Weight symmetry of each patient was measured by posturography during quiet stance and in conditions of compelled weight shift. Each patient was started with quiet standing, standing with shoe lift under the sound leg; cueing and cueing with shoe lift under the sound leg respectively. Weight symmetry scores were recorded for comparing the weight distribution between each foot.

Results: There were 10 hemiparetic patients. Seven were male. The average age was 53.4 +/- 8.45 years. There were 5 right hemiparesis and 5 left hemiparesis. The average onset was 12.3 +/- 15.73 months. In the right hemiparetic patients, weight bearing in the paretic leg was significantly improved when cueing with shoe lift compared with quiet standing and with shoe lift (Backward p = 0.012, Forward p = 0.011 and Backward p = 0.001, Forward p = 0.036 respectively). In the left hemiparetic patients, weight bearing in the paretic leg was significantly improved when cueing compared with quiet standing (Backward p = 0.046), and when using the shoe lift (Backward p = 0.016). Cueing with shoe lift could significantly improve weight bearing in the paretic leg when compared with shoe lift alone (Backward p = 0.015). Shoe lift alone could improve weight bearing in the paretic leg of the right and left hemiparetic patients but was not statistically significant (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Cueing with shoe lift under the sound leg can significantly improve weight bearing of the paretic leg of the right and left stroke hemiparetic patients.