Immediate effect of Vojta therapy on walking speed and postural balance of individuals with chronic stroke: a pilot study
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Abstract
The objective of this pilot study was to investigate the immediate effects of Vojta therapy on walking speed, balance, and symmetry of weight bearing in individuals with chronic stroke. Eight individuals (5 males and 3 females) with chronic stroke participated in the pilot study. Each participant received one session of prolonged passive stretching for 15 minutes and Vojta therapy for 30 minutes. All of the outcomes were assessed before and immediately after the intervention. Walking speed (10-meter walk test) was the primary outcome. Dynamic balance (timed up and go test), static balance (sharpened Romberg test), and symmetrical weight bearing (stance symmetry test) were the other outcomes. The statistical analysis compared between before and after the tests using the Wilcoxon test. The level of statistical significance for all measures was set at p-value < 0.05. Walking speed, dynamic balance, and static balance were significantly improved after the intervention, 0.48 m/s to 0.52 m/s (p-value = 0.018), 25.00 s to 22.35 s (p-value = 0.025), and 7.44 s to 14.92 s (p-value = 0.036), respectively. Symmetrical weight bearing also improved, but the change was not statistically significant. This pilot study showed that one session of Vojta therapy can improve walking speed and balance.
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