Noh 2008

Methods	Randomised controlled trial (random assignment stated) Method of randomisation: blocked randomisation Allocation concealment: yes ITT analysis: no Blinding of outcome assessors: yes, as stated by the authors Adverse events: not stated Deaths: not stated Drop‐outs: 2 drop‐outs in the control group (1 due to hip fracture after a fall and 1 incomplete participation) and 3 drop‐outs in the treatment group (2 due to personal reasons and time constraints and 1 due to poor general condition) Ethical approval: yes Informed consent to participation: yes
Participants	Country: Korea 25 people after stroke (14 in the treatment and 16 in the control group) Ambulatory at study onset Mean age: 57 to 67 years (control and treatment group respectively) Inclusion criteria: stroke at least 6 months before enrolment, hemiparesis secondary to a first stroke, able to walk independently (with or without an assistive device), medically stable, no previous myocardial infarction, and no significant musculoskeletal problems as a result of conditions other than stroke Exclusion criteria: uncontrolled hypertension, arrhythmia and unstable cardiovascular status
Interventions	2 arms: (1) experimental group used aquatic therapy group participated in a programme consisting of Ai Chi and Halliwick methods, which focused on balance and weight‐bearing exercises, 3 times a week for 8 weeks (1 hour session) (2) control group used performed gym exercises (such as general conditioning exercises, including a warm‐up, lower extremity strengthening (e.g. bicycle, leg extensor), upper‐extremity strengthening (e.g. upper body ergometer) and gait training (e.g. marching with 0.5 kg ankle weights for 10 minutes) for the same amount of time as the aquatic therapy group spent in the pool
Outcomes	Outcomes were recorded at baseline and after 8 weeks Primary outcomes: Berg Balance Scale score and weight‐bearing ability (measured by vertical ground reaction force during four standing tasks. rising from a chair and weight‐shifting forward, backward and laterally) Secondary outcomes: muscle strength and gait
Notes
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Adequate sequence generation?	Unclear risk	Author statement: "The subjects were then randomly assigned, so that the numbers of subjects in each stratum were approximately equal between the aquatic and conventional therapy groups."
Allocation concealment?	Low risk	Author statement: "One researcher performed the randomization and kept the tables of patient allocation and random numbers; the other researcher evaluated the subjects and did not have access to these tables."
Blinding? All outcomes	Low risk	Author statement: "All assessments were graded by one clinician who was blinded to group assignment."

ITT: intention‐to‐treat