Running training after stroke: a single-subject report.

Background And Purpose: Although many people who have had a stroke are primarily interested in learning to walk, some are able to focus on a return to recreational and sporting activities. This study was carried out to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of the use of intensive task-oriented training in the body-weight-support/treadmill environment to improve running for a subject after stroke.

Subject: The subject was a 38-year-old man who had a stroke 2.5 years previously.

Methods: A single-subject design with baseline, intervention, immediate postintervention, and 6-month postintervention phases was conducted. Dependent variables included 25-m sprint time, single-leg balance, running step width, running step length ratio, Stroke Impact Scale, 6-minute walk test, and lower-extremity strength (force-generating capacity).

Results: At the 6-month postintervention phase, sprint speed, left single-leg balance, and step width changed significantly from the baseline phase. Step length ratio trended toward less symmetry but more consistency, and muscle strength improved more than 20% in 6 of 8 muscle groups in the involved lower extremity and 4 of 8 muscle groups in the uninvolved lower extremity.

Discussion And Conclusion: Intensive task-specific training was feasible and effective for retraining running ability in the study subject. He returned to recreational running, which provided him with a greatly improved outlook and a better quality of life.