The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of dual-task training with cognitive effort on the walking and balance functions of chronic stroke patients. The study included 14 chronic stroke patients, who were randomly divided into the experimental group (EG) and control group (CG), each with 7 patients. The EG performed the dual-task training with cognitive effort 3 times a week, 30 minutes for 4 weeks, where as the CG performed single-task training three times a week, for 30 minutes for 4 weeks. Outcome assessments were made with 10 m walk test, timed up and go test, 6 minutes walk test, and Berg balance scale. In within-group comparison, subjects from the EG showed significant differences in all variables (p<.05), while subjects from the CG showed only significant differences in 6 minutes walk test, and Berg balance scale (p<.05). Further, there was significant difference in the improvement rate of 10 m walk test. The findings suggest that the dual-task with cognitive effort may be beneficial for improving walking and balance functions of patients with chronic stroke.

This study examines changes in walking ability among patients with stroke after applying dual-task training under the condition of visual control and unstable supporting ground; the purpose is to provide reference data for selecting intervention methods that enhance the walking ability of patients with stroke. Among the patients with stroke who received rehabilitation treatment(at Rehabilitation Hospital B in Gyeonggi, South Korea from May 2014 to July 2014), 29 patients were selected as research subjects; all of them understood the purpose and contents of this research and agreed to participate in the experiment. The research subjects were divided into a visual control and unstable supporting ground dual-task(VUDT) group(10 patients), a visual control dual-task(VDT) group(10 patients), and an unstable supporting ground dual-task(UDT) group(9 patients); all of the subjects received 30-minute trainings, three times a week for a total of four weeks. A Timed-Up-and-Go(TUG) test was performed to investigate the change of walking function among the subjects, and a 10m walking test was conducted to measure their walking speed. According to the study results, all three groups showed significant differences after dual-task training; the dual-task training group under the condition of visual control and unstable supporting ground showed the most prominent change. This study confirmed that dual-task training using visual control and unstable supporting ground has a positive impact on the walking ability of patients with stroke. Through the study results, we found that implementing dual-task training under the condition of visual control and unstable supporting ground can more effectively improve the walking ability of patients with stroke, rather than performing visual control dual-task training or unstable supporting ground dual-task training only.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of dual-task training (cognitive and exercise tasks) on the balance and gait performance of chronic stroke patients. Eighteen subjects with chronic stroke were divided equally into two groups, an experimental group and a control group. Subjects in both groups participated in an exercise program, performing the same tasks, for 45 minutes per day, three times per week for four weeks. The experimental group also performed additional cognitive task. The experimental group showed a more significant improvement than the control group on the Berg Balance Scale, the Timed Up and Go Test, the Korean Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale, and the Functional Gait Assessment (p<.05). The cognitive task error rates in the final week were significantly less than in the first week in the experimental group (p<.01). These results suggest that dual-task training for chronic stroke patients is effective in improving balance, gait, and cognitive abilities.