LAUSR

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of functional electrical stimulation (FES) with mirror therapy on balance and gait ability in chronic stroke patients. Thirty-five subjects who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated into three groups: the functional electrical stimulation with mirror therapy group(FMT group, n=11), mirror therapy group(MT group, n=12), and control group (n=12). The exercises were conducted for 30 min per day, five, per week for four weeks. Balance and gait ability were examined at baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention. After training, the FMT group showed significant improvement in berg balance scale (BBS), center of pressure (COP) length, affected step length (ASL), Cadence and average gait speed (AGS) compared MT group and control group(p<0.05). This findings show that FES and MT convergence can be an effective intervention for stroke patients balance and gait ability. Continued development of convergence interventions for stroke patients with balance and gait ability in practice, are suggested.