Effects of trunk stability exercise using proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation with changes in chair height on the gait of patients who had a stroke

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of trunk stability exercise using proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation with changes in chair heights on the gait of stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects of this study were 11 stroke patients. The intervention method was trunk stability exercise using proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation with different chair heights (50, 60, and 70 cm). These exercises were performed 5 times per week for 6 weeks. Gait velocity, cadence, stride length, gait cycle, and stance phase duration were used to measure gait function. [Results] Significant changes in gait velocity, cadence, and stride length were observed on the affected side. However, no significant changes in gait cycle and stance phase were observed on the affected side. [Conclusion] These results indicate that trunk stability exercise using proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation with change in chair heights were effective in improving gait velocity, cadence, and stride length on the affected side. However, in this study, no significant changes were observed in gait cycle and stance phase on the affected side. Therefore, various interventions for stroke patients should be investigated in further studies.