The effect of gait imagery and its more demanding variant on muscle activity in stroke survivors

The gait imagery, or mental simulation of walking without actually performing it, appears to be the suitable adjunct to comprehensive rehabilitation for stroke survivors because it improves their subsequent gait performance and recovery. The aim of this study was to determine how muscle activity of selected paretic and non-paretic lower limb muscles changes in patients in the subacute phase after stroke when imagining normal gait and its more challenging variant, gait on the line. Surface electromyography (sEMG) of rectus femoris, biceps femoris, tibiais anterior and gastrocnemius medial head was recorded during three tasks (resting task, gait imagery before and after its actual execution) for normal gait and gait on the line in 40 stroke survivors. Muscle activity decreased signifi cantly in most of the selected muscles of both lower limbs during each of the tasks of normal gait imagery and gait on the line imagery. We found lower sEMG activity in paretic gastrocnemius medial head and non-paretic rectus femoris and biceps femoris during the tasks of imagining more challenging situation. Muscle activity of paretic and non-paretic lower limbs did not diff er during imagination before and after execution of both types of gait. The results of the study show that normal gait imagery and gait on a line imagery alters muscle activity in both paretic and non-paretic lower limbs. The fi ndings may facilitate the application of imagining these movements as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation approach in subacute stroke survivors with gait limitations.