Rhythmic auditory stimulation improves impaired gait in patients with stroke

This study investigated the effect of gait (walking ability) training with auditory stimulation (AS; training the movements through hearing sounds such as music) in patients with stroke. Researchers suggested that AS helps improving gait in these patients.

Stroke is an acute disorder caused by insufficient oxygen being delivered to the brain. The death of brain cells may cause a variety of symptoms such as gait disorders, weakness and balance disorders.

Prior studies showed that AS therapy improved gait velocity and stride length in patients with stroke and/or Parkinson’s disease. However, results are not clear for patients with stroke in terms of walking and balance ability.

The study included 44 patients who had a stroke. They were randomly assigned to receive AS with conventional therapy (23 patients) or conventional therapy alone (21 patients). The AS group underwent treatment for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 6 weeks.

At follow-up, both groups had significant improvements in gait recovery compared to the beginning of the study/ However, the AS group had a significantly greater improvement in gait recovery when compared to the non-AS group. 

Also, by matching the AS beat frequency with fast step time was beneficial in improving gait symmetry for patients in the AS group.

This study showed that AS is associated with gait improvements in patients with stroke.

This study included a small number of patients. Larger studies are still needed to confirm these results.