LAUSR

BACKGROUND Inadequate ankle control influences walking ability in people after stroke. Walking on inclined surface activates ankle muscles and movements. However, the effects of inclined treadmill training on ankle control is not clear. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of inclined treadmill training on ankle control in individuals with inadequate ankle control after chronic stroke. METHODS This was a randomized single-blinded study. Eighteen participants were randomly assigned to receive 12 sessions of 30 min inclined (n = 9) or regular (n = 9) treadmill training and 5 min over-ground walking training. The outcomes included ankle control during walking, muscle strength of affected leg, walking performance, and stair climbing performance. RESULTS Inclined treadmill training significantly improved ankle dorsiflexion at initial contact (p = 0.002), increased tibialis anterior activities (p = 0.003 at initial contact, p = 0.006 in swing phase), and decreased dynamic plantarflexors spasticity (p = 0.027) as compared with regular treadmill training. Greater improvements were also shown in stair climbing with affected leg leading (p = 0.006) and affected knee extensors strength (p = 0.002) after inclined treadmill training. CONCLUSIONS Inclined treadmill training was proposed to improve inadequate ankle control after chronic stroke. Inclined treadmill training also improved the stair climbing ability accompanied with increased muscle strength of the affected lower extremity.