{"id":1942,"date":"2022-11-07T10:43:35","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T10:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/?p=1942"},"modified":"2025-08-03T06:34:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T06:34:01","slug":"best-practices-in-gait-rehabilitation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/best-practices-in-gait-rehabilitation\/","title":{"rendered":"Best practices in gait rehabilitation\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1942\" class=\"elementor elementor-1942\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7c8ddfe elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default text-reveal-no\" data-id=\"7c8ddfe\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-82b3af7\" data-id=\"82b3af7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-621216c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"621216c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1>\u00a0<\/h1><p>Gait rehabilitation is therapy performed after an injury or illness for the purpose of improving a person\u2019s ability to walk, move around, or balance.\u00a0<\/p><p>The most common reasons for gait rehabilitation are the onset of a neurological issue (such as stroke, Parkinson\u2019s disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, etc.), an orthopedic condition (such hip and knee joint replacement, fractures in the lower limbs, amputation, sports injuries, etc.), medical treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, etc.) or older adults that are experiencing an idiopathic (unknown cause) decrease in their walking ability.<\/p><p><\/p><h2>Benefits of gait rehabilitation<\/h2><p>There are three significant benefits to gait rehabilitation. The first, and most obvious, is that it provides the client independence and mobility. The second is that it can significantly lower the risk of failing and suffering additional injuries due to instability. The third, if done correctly, is that it can improve cognitive abilities, especially around executive function.\u00a0<\/p><p>Before getting started with gait rehabilitation, it\u2019s important that the patient and therapist are both comfortable and able to safely do the necessary exercises.\u00a0<\/p><p>Typical gait training exercises are designed to help strengthen muscles, improve posture and stability, and develop the muscle memory that allows patients to regain their mobility. These activities may include:<\/p><ul><li aria-level=\"1\">Transfers (like sitting-standing)<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Walking exercise (over ground, treadmill)<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Lifting your legs<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Stepping over objects<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Avoiding obstacles<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Bed exercises<\/li><\/ul><p>However, clinical trials and the experience of physical therapists strongly indicate that the cognitive exercises are also a critical element in gait rehabilitation. This is driven by the complex interplay between gait and executive function. Better gait improves cognitive function and better cognitive function improves gait.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fcc45df elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default text-reveal-no\" data-id=\"fcc45df\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-22d42e3\" data-id=\"22d42e3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5df6a2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d5df6a2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Best practices for improving gait in older adults<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1e7a0fc elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default text-reveal-no\" data-id=\"1e7a0fc\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ac50d49\" data-id=\"ac50d49\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c13a613 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c13a613\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In most people, gait speed begins to decline around the age of 65. This is defined as how quickly one can walk within a specific distance. It also applies to how we walk and move throughout our daily lives.\u00a0<\/p><p>It is important to recognize that gait speed is a critical physical performance indicator, predicting overall health and life expectancy for people of all ages, but especially for older adults.<\/p><p>Several systems must work together for walking to occur.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-13928ce\" data-id=\"13928ce\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-edf1acb elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"edf1acb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Virtual-reality-system-for-treadmill.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1945\" alt=\"Virtual Reality semi immersive gait training system for older\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-efbc167 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default text-reveal-no\" data-id=\"efbc167\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-afaa6f8\" data-id=\"afaa6f8\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-06e20bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"06e20bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Why Does Gait Speed Decline as We Age?<\/strong><\/p><ul><li aria-level=\"1\">Poor posture<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Hips and legs become weaker<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Loss of flexibility<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Vision and hearing loss<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Declines in cognitive function<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Dizzy spells and light-headedness<\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>The keys to improving gait speed lies in increasing muscle strength and cognitive functioning.\u00a0<\/p><p>Spending more time walking is perhaps the most obvious way to increase gait speed. Walking consistently will improve gait speed for most older adults, especially when combined with strength training.<\/p><p>For older adults living in senior communities, walking exercises should be gradually more challenging to improve their skills. Using a virtual reality system such as the GaitBetter technology on a treadmill is a safe and effective way to achieve this. As a result, participants gain the ability to adjust walking patterns easier while using less effort.<\/p><p><b>Ways to Increase walking challenges and Gait training exercises:<\/b><\/p><ul><li aria-level=\"1\">Adjust speeds for short distances<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Change walking directions<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Add obstacles on the walking path<\/li><li aria-level=\"1\">Dual tasking while walking<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6dc3616a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default text-reveal-no\" data-id=\"6dc3616a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-552d4793\" data-id=\"552d4793\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d672173 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6d672173\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div><strong><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-e4ddf63 ); font-size: 22px;\">Best practices in improving walking after hip replacement<\/span><\/strong><\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surgery on the lower extremities, such as the foot, ankle, knee, and hip, can cause a person to experience weakness or tightness in their legs, preventing them from walking normally. Balance and proprioception are also often affected. In most cases, a physical therapist will assess the gait and develop an exercise plan to help improve it.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Exercises often include:<\/b><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choosing the right assistive device<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Range of motion exercises<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lower extremity strengthening<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stepping over obstacles<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Target stepping<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retro walking<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Balance and proprioception exercises<\/span><\/li><\/ul><h2><strong>Best practices in gait rehabilitation after stroke<\/strong><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An estimated <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/stroke\/facts.htm#:~:text=Every%20year%2C%20more%20than%20795%2C000,are%20first%20or%20new%20strokes.&amp;text=About%20185%2C000%20strokes%E2%80%94nearly%201,have%20had%20a%20previous%20stroke.&amp;text=About%2087%25%20of%20all%20strokes,to%20the%20brain%20is%20blocked.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one in four people<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will suffer a stroke in their lifetime. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/1178004\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ninety percent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of stroke survivors have some functional disability, with degraded mobility being a major and common impairment. As a result, one of the highest priorities of therapists working with post-stroke patients is to quickly improve walking ability to the highest possible outcome.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being able to confidently walk for extended distances has numerous health benefits for the post-stroke survivor. It reduces social isolation, prevents depression, dramatically lowers the risk of heart disease or osteoporosis, and make it much less likely they will be re-hospitalized due to injuries from falls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GoldenGait-Full-Master-License-Agmt-Distributors.pdf\">GoldenGait Full Master License Agmt &#8211; Distributors<\/a> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-68817\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/stroke-gait-300x216-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"216\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a wide range of strategies and assistive devices have been developed to help accelerate gait recovery.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Intervention aims to optimize walking performance by:<\/b><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prevention of adaptive changes in lower limb tissues<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retraining voluntary response in the lower muscle groups<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increasing muscle strength and coordination<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boost walking velocity and endurance<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Develop cardiovascular fitness<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raising flexibility and balance<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><\/p><p><b>The major emphasis in <\/b><b>gait training exercises<\/b><b>:<\/b><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supporting the body\u2019s mass over the lower limbs<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increasing momentum of the body\u2019s mass<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Balancing the body\u2019s mass as it moves over one or both lower limbs<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">controlling leg movement<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase foot clearance<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accurate foot position and placement<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Optimizing rhythm and coordination<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In patients with stroke or similar indications (such as multiple sclerosis), conventional treadmill exercises are frequently used to treat gait disorders. Adding a virtual reality (VR)-based treadmill training can increase motivation and improve therapy outcomes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, the results of a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ptj\/article\/94\/9\/1319\/2735657\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> conducted with the GaitBetter VR treadmill have shown improvements in TUG (Timed Up and Go test), FSST (Four Steps Square Test) and distance walked in 2 minutes walk test, after 5 weeks of training.<\/span><\/p><h2><strong>Virtual reality rehabilitation system<\/strong><\/h2><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-68818\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Virtual-reality-system-300x200-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is crucial to strengthen the mind-body connection during gait rehabilitation exercises in order to increase brain plasticity and the body&#8217;s capability to send signals between the brain and muscles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adding a virtual reality element to treadmill training is proving to be a beneficial step in gait rehabilitation and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/science-evidence\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> reducing the number of falls<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. By immersing participants in real life scenarios and monitoring how they \u00a0their way around obstacles, such as those performed on the GaitBetter system, participants and therapists feel safe and confident while improving motor-cognitive functions over time.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Virtual reality systems can simulate a wide variety of scenarios while keeping safety in check. For those of us who prefer a safe environment without risks, a Virtual Reality simulated hike is the next best thing, as the brain treats it as if it were the real thing.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GaitBetter is a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">virtual reality motor-cognitive <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">training platform that promotes independence. By engaging participants in interactive cognitive-motor training activities in VR, immersive training can <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increase the patient&#8217;s self confidence while walking, and improve overall quality of life<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To find out more about why you must implement VR in your physical therapy and rehabilitation practice, schedule a meeting with GaitBetter now! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/contact-us\/\">Click Here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Gait rehabilitation is therapy performed after an injury or illness for the purpose of improving a person\u2019s ability to walk, move around, or balance.\u00a0 The most common reasons for gait rehabilitation are the onset of a neurological issue (such as stroke, Parkinson\u2019s disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain..<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1942"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68824,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942\/revisions\/68824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}