ABSTRACT
Gait disorders accompanied by significant between-limb asymmetry are common in neurological patients and increase the risk of accidental falls and physical disability. If the asymmetry is not sufficiently reduced early in the rehabilitation process, the impact of compensatory mechanisms may lead to its worsening and subsequent difficult and ineffective treatment in the later phase of rehabilitation.
Four patients with various neurological conditions (neuromuscular disease, post-stroke paresis, radicular syndrome and PNS injury) completed a treatment program combining ten sessions of body-weight supported treadmill therapy and conventional physiotherapy. Gait parameters and symmetry indexes were measured and evaluated at the baseline, during every other session and their development was mutually compared.