Stroke patients develop gait disturbances due to damage to the central nervous system, especially on uneven terrain where perturbations are difficult to predict.As a result, participation in outdoor communities is hampered and quality of life is reduced.Therefore, when rehabilitation specialists consider the problem of outdoor walking in stroke patients, it is important to understand the characteristics of walking on rough terrain.

　In this study, we conducted a walking experiment of stroke patients using self-made rough terrain, and compared the characteristics of walking speed, trunk acceleration, joint movement on the paralyzed side, and muscle activity during rough terrain walking with those of healthy subjects. analyzed.As a result, there was no difference in walking speed between stroke patients and healthy subjects, but stroke patients showed decreased walking stability, decreased hip extension angle during stance phase, and increased soleus muscle activity time during swing phase. became clear.

　The research group believes that this result is due to the difficulty in motor control in stroke patients during uneven walking, resulting in decreased gait stability and decreased hip extension angle during the stance phase.In addition, regarding the increase in the activity time of the soleus muscle during the swing phase, it is considered that the compensatory strategy for shock absorption was strengthened against the large shock that occurred on uneven terrain.

　So far, changes in stroke patients walking on artificial turf have been verified, but there have been no reports verifying the characteristics on uneven terrain where unpredictable perturbations occur.This study is the first to clarify the characteristics of stroke patients during uneven walking compared with healthy subjects.In the future, it will be necessary to investigate the differences in characteristics among stroke patients and their longitudinal course.

Paper information:[Gait and Posture] Characteristics of uneven surface walking in stroke patients: Modification in biomechanical parameters and muscle activity