Effect of torso training on unstable surface on lower limb motor function in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of torso training on unstable surface on lower limb motor function in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury.

Methods: A total of 80 patients with incomplete spinal cord injury caused by thoracolumbar fracture admitted in Ningbo Yinzhou No.2 Hospital from April 2020 to December 2021 were randomly divided into control group and study group, with 40 cases in each group. In addition to routine training, the control group received torso training on stable surface and the study group received torso training on unstable surface. The gait, lower limb muscle strength, balance function, lower limb function, mobility and nerve function of the two groups were compared.

Results: After treatment, the stride length, stride frequency and comfortable walking speed improved in the two groups (all <0.05), and the improvements in study group were more significant (all <0.05). The muscle strength of quadriceps femoris, gluteus maximus, hamstring, anterior tibialis and gastrocnemius were improved in the two groups (all <0.05), and the improvements in study group were more significant (all <0.05); the total trajectories of static eye opening and static eye closing gravity center movement in the two groups were significantly shorter (all <0.05), and the improvements in the study group were more significant (all <0.05). The dynamic stability limit range and the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) lower extremity motor score, Berg balance scale, modified Barthel index scale in the two groups were significantly higher (all <0.05), and these scores in study group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all <0.05). Both groups showed a significant improvement in ASIA grade (all <0.05), and the improvement in the study group was significantly better (<0.05).

Conclusions: Torso training on unstable surface can effectively improve the gait and lower limb muscle strength of patients with incomplete spinal cord injury and improve the lower limb motor function.