Effects of self-controlled feedback on balance during blocked training for patients with cerebrovascular accident

[Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of self-controlled feedback on the acquisition and retention of blocked balance training by patients with cerebrovascular accident (CVA). [Subjects] Twenty-four hemiplegics were randomly assigned to a self-controlled feedback, yoked feedback or control group. All subjects were ambulatory with or without an assistive device. The self-controlled feedback group was provided with feedback whenever they requested it, whereas the yoked feedback group had no influence on the feedback schedule. All subjects performed 10 acquisition trials per block × four blocks, and 10 retention trials per block × two blocks one-day later. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and multivariate ANOVA. [Results] In the body sway amplitudes of acquisition phase which was used, to examine practice effect, the left/right (LR) and anterior/posterior (AP) both the self-controlled and yoked feedback groups were significantly smaller than those of the control group, but no significant differences were found between the self-controlled and yoked feedback groups. In the retention phase, to examine learning effect, the left/right (LR) and anterior/posterior (AP) body sway amplitudes of the self-controlled group were significantly smaller than those of both the yoked feedback and control groups. [Conclusion] These results are interpreted to mean that, for hemiplegic patients, self-controlled feedback is a more effective way of restoring balance than yoked feedback.