This study includes chronic stroke patients who will be randomly assigned to treadmill training combined with thera-band or treadmill training alone group to receive 30 min per session, 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks walking training . Functional balance (Berg Balance Scale), gait characteristics during preferred and maximal speed level walking, and oxygen uptake during 5-minute bouts of treadmill walking will be assessed before and after training and at 2-month follow-up. Clinical sensorimotor function assessment, including hand grip strength, plantar sensitivity, stroke rehabilitation assessment of movement and Fugl-Meyer lower extremity motor scale will also be conducted for subject characterization.
The purpose of this study is to determine if treadmill training combined with thera-band resistance to body support and forward propulsion would be more effective than treadmill training alone in improving over-ground walking ability and reducing energy cost in chronic stroke patients. This study will also characterize the neuromuscular and kinematic strategies to adapt to resisted treadmill walking in non-impaired adults and stroke patients.