Balance and Gait After First Minor Ischemic Stroke in People 70 Years of Age or Younger: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study (original) (raw)

Physical Therapy

Abstract

Background Two-thirds of patients with stroke experience only mild impairments in the acute phase, and the proportion of patients < 70 years is increasing. Knowledge about balance and gait and predictive factors are scarce for this group. Objective The objective of this study was to explore balance and gait in the acute phase and after 3 and 12 months in patients ≤70 years with minor ischemic stroke (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≤3). This study also explored factors predicting impaired balance after 12 months. Design This study was designed as an explorative longitudinal cohort study. Methods Patients were recruited consecutively from two stroke units. Balance and gait were assessed with the Mini-BESTest, Timed Up and Go (TUG), and preferred gait speed. Predictors for impaired balance were explored using logistic regression. Results This study included 101 patients. Mean (SD) age was 55.5 (11.4) years, 20% were female and mean (SD) NIHSS score was 0.6 (...

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