Treadmill training post stroke: are there any secondary benefits? A pilot study

Objective: To explore the secondary benefits of treadmill training for people in the chronic stage of recovery from stroke. Design: Modified random assignment, matched-pair control group design with repeated measures. Setting: Outpatient stroke centre. Participants: Twenty individuals post first stroke who acknowledged walking slower than pre stroke. Participants matched by side of hemiparesis and motor impairment. Interventions: Twelve 20-minute sessions of walking on a treadmill or weekly phone call. Main outcome measures: Depression (Beck Depression Index), mobility and social participation (Stroke Impact Scale 3.0 subscales) were assessed initially, at the end of 12 treatments (four weeks) and six weeks later. Results: No significant difference was found between groups for any dependent measure. The ANOVA to investigate main effects in each group found no significant findings in the control group; however in the treatment group significant improvements over time for depression (P=0.005, P<0.001), mobility (P=0.008) and social participation (P=0.004) were demonstrated. Conclusions: A task-specific intervention designed to improve gait speed may potentially provide secondary benefits by positively impacting depression, mobility and social participation for people post stroke.