Abstract:

Objective

To explore the effect of overground body weight support system on lower limb motor function and fear of falling in elderly patients with stroke.

Methods

A total of 74 elderly patients with lower limb motor dysfunction and fear of falling in the recovery period of stroke admitted to Zhejiang Hospital from October 2022 to June 2023 were selected and divided into a control group and an observation group by random number table method.The control group （37 cases） received conventional rehabilitation training intervention， and the observation group （37 cases） received overground body weight support system on the basis of the control group.After 4 weeks of intervention， Fugl-Meyer assessment scale （FMAS） of lower extremity， Berg balance scale （BBS）， timed up and go test （TUGT），modified Barthel index （MBI） and fear of falling questionnaire-revised （FFQ-R） were used to evaluate lower limb motor function， self-care ability， and fear of falling before and 4 weeks after the intervention.The intervention effects between the two groups were compared using an independent samples t-test.

Results

After the intervention， the lower limb FMA， BBS， and MBI scores of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group （t=5.293， 8.473， 5.976； P ＜ 0.01）， the TUGT time was significantly shorter than that of the control group （t=11.889， P ＜ 0.01）， and the FFQ-R score was significantly lower than that of the control group （t=7.147， P ＜ 0.01）.

Conclusion

Overground body weight supported training can improve the lower limb motor function of elderly stroke patients， reduce their fear of falls， enhance their self-care ability， and improve their quality of life.

Key words: Overground body weight support system, Aged, Stroke, Lower limb motor function, Fear of falling