Table 2.
Participants` characteristics and functional outcomes at baseline.
| Variables | EXP group (n = 17) | CON group (n = 16) | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (Male/Female)a | 14/3 | 15/1 | 0.316 |
| Age (years) | 48.7 ± 14.8 | 43.1 ± 16.2 | 0.304 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.3 ± 1.7 | 25.1 ± 3.1 | 0.796 |
| Type of stroke (infarction/hemorrhage) | 6/11 | 8/8 | 0.393 |
| Time since stroke (months) | 16.2 ± 20.3 | 14 ± 10.2 | 0.695 |
| hemiplegia side (Left/Right)a | 6/11 | 8/8 | 0.393 |
| Brunnstrom stages of LE (3/4/5/6)a | 3/7/5/2 | 4/9/1/2 | 0.387 |
| AFO for daily use (Yes/No)a | 2/15 | 4/12 | 0.352 |
| Cane for daily use (Yes/No)a | 7/10 | 9/7 | 0.387 |
| AFO use during tests (Yes/No)a | 0/17 | 1/15 | 0.295 |
| Cane use during tests (Yes/No)a | 0/17 | 0/16 | – |
| Gait velocity-normal (m/s) | 0.35 ± 0.16 | 0.32 ± 0.14 | 0.571 |
| Gait velocity-fast (m/s) | 0.43 ± 0.18 | 0.4 ± 0.2 | 0.645 |
| CST-Forward (0/1/2/3)a | 3/0/3/11 | 5/0/1/10 | 0.468 |
| CST-Backward (0/1/2/3)a | 4/0/2/11 | 6/0/2/8 | 0.656 |
| TUG_normal (s) | 37.5 ± 15.4 | 41.1 ± 11.3 | 0.444 |
| TUG_fast (s) | 34.2 ± 16 | 35.9 ± 12.7 | 0.745 |
| 5-STS (s) | 28.6 ± 12.6 | 30.8 ± 11.4 | 0.608 |
| ABC score | 66.5 ± 24.8 | 58.6 ± 23.3 | 0.352 |
p, between-group difference examined by the independent t-test or Pearson χ2 test. BMI, Body mass index; LE, lower extremity; CST, compensatory stepping test; TUG, timed up-and-go test; STS, sit-to-stand test; ABC, the activities-specific balance confidence scale.
a
Variables marked with “a” were analyzed by Pearson χ2, otherwise by the independent t-test.