Abstract
The aims of the study were to assess the walking, balance and sensorimotor performance of hemiparetic patients in the acute stage (3-8 weeks) after stroke, and to determine the extent of correlation between these variables. Twenty-eight patients aged 55.0±9.3 years (mean±SD) with residual hemiparesis due to a first stroke were assessed. The average walking velocity for the 16 patients who were able to complete the 10-m walking test was 0.26 m/s, and they rated their difficulty in performing this test as ‘moderate’. The mean score (±SD) on the Berg Balance Scale was 23±16 and on the Fugl-Meyer Sensorimotor Assessment 153±36. Patients requiring a greater number of steps while walking 10 m tended to have lower extremity motor function and decreased balance function. Furthermore, patients with poorer balance had to exert themselves more when walking (rs = -0.73, P <0.01). The Berg Balance Scale and the ‘Balance’ subsection of the Fugl-Meyer Sensorimotor Assessment correlated significantly (r = 0.77, P <0.001). The results of this study indicate that the selected functional tests used are suitable measures to assess hemiparetic patients in the acute stage.