Genichi Tanino, RPT, MHSc, Shigeru Sonoda, MD, PhD, Makoto Watanabe, OTR, BA,
Yuko Okuyama, RPT, Sho Sasaki, RPT, BA, Hoshi Murai, RPT, Ken Tomida, RPT, MHSc,
Akira Suzuki, RPT, BA, Kenji Kawakami, RPT, MS, Hiroyuki Miyasaka, OTR, PhD,
Abbas Orand, RE, PhD, Yutaka Tomita, RE, PhD
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 5: 40-49, 2014
Purpose: To examine changes in gait ability of stroke
patients in the subacute phase based on their gait
ability and severity of lower extremity motor paralysis.
Methods: The subjects were 1,698 hemiplegic patients
with stroke. Patients were stratified by their gait ability
on admission based on the Functional Independence
Measure (FIM) (scores 1 to 7), and by their severity
level of lower extremity motor paralysis based on the
Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (complete, severe,
moderate, and mild paralysis). Then the patients were
classified into 28 groups using a combination of the
seven FIM walk scores and the four severity levels of
motor paralysis, and the relations with gait ability at
discharge and various time points were analyzed.
Results: Patients in the complete paralysis group
with an admission FIM walk score of 1 or 2 showed
significantly lower FIM walk scores at discharge,
compared to patients in the other groups. When patients
had a FIM walk score of 3 or 4 on admission, the
contribution of the severity of paralysis to the FIM
walk score at discharge tended to be relatively small.
Conclusion: There were diverse courses of recovery
of walking ability among stroke patients depending on
their gait ability and severity of motor paralysis on
admission.
Key words: cerebrovascular disorders, kaifukuki rehabilitation ward, walking, hemiplegia