Effectiveness of Ankle Proprioceptive Control on Walking Balance in Post-Stroke Patients: A Pre-Experimental Study

Abstract

Introduction: Good walking balance is crucial for improving the functional abilities of stroke patients. Balance impairments in stroke patients increase the risk of falls and hinder daily activities. Ankle proprioceptive control exercises have proven to enhance walking balance in post-stroke patients.

Methods: This pre-experimental study employed a one-group pretest-posttest design with 30 participants selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Subjects were subacute and chronic stroke patients aged 45–60 years. Ankle proprioceptive control exercises were administered thrice weekly at the Wijaya Clinic in South Jakarta for three months. Statistical analysis included the Shapiro-Wilk test and paired t-test.

Results: There was a significant improvement in Ten-Metre Walking Test (10mWT) scores, with p=0.000, indicating the effectiveness of the exercise.

Conclusion: Ankle proprioceptive control exercises effectively improve walking balance in post-stroke patients, as the increased 10mWT scores demonstrate.

Keywords: walking balance, proprioceptive control, rehabilitation, stroke