Effects of ankle-specific perturbation training on lower limb motor function and plantar pressure changes in stroke patients: A randomized controlled study

Methods: Between September 2023 and June 2024, 46 stroke patients admitted to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Binzhou Medical University Affiliated Hospital were recruited and randomly assigned to either a control group (n = 23) or an experimental group (n = 23). The control group received conventional rehabilitation training (CRT) with ankle functional training (AFT), whereas the experimental group received APT on top of the control group, 30 minutes per day, 5 times per week, for 4 weeks. Both the control group and the experimental group comprised research subjects selected through screening. The Fugl-Meyer assessment of lower extremity (FMA-LE), Zebris plantar pressure assessment, Noraxon MyoMOTION 3D system, and surface electromyography were used to evaluate the results before and after treatment. The data collected included range of motion (ROM) for the hip and ankle joints, knee flexion angle, maximum pressure value (MPV) in the three-part division of the foot plantar (forefoot, midfoot, rearfoot), and the root mean square (RMS) value of the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle.Results: Compared between groups, the experimental group’s FMA, flexion angle of the affected knee, ROM of the affected ankle, MPV of the affected forefoot, and the affected TA muscle RMS values were all significantly better than the control group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Compared with AFT, APT can effectively improve some kinematic parameters of stroke patients, change the plantar pressure distribution, and optimize the gait pattern of patients when walking. This is of great significance for improving the walking ability of stroke patients.