Motor control changes after three months gait training in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury

Abstract

Ten subjects diagnosed with a spinal cord injury participated in gait training. Six patients were ASIA C and four were ASIA D. Nine were trained using supported treadmill ambulation training (STAT), while one was trained conventionally. Each was trained for twenty minutes, five days per week for three months. Before training, patient motor control patterns were evaluated bilaterally from five major sites on a lower limb using a protocol named Brain Motor Control Assessment (BMCA). To make a simple comparison, only TA and TS muscle activation ratios during unilateral dorsiflexion of each side was compared in this paper. Results were compared with gait speed test results.