Added Effects of Loaded Sit-to-Stand Exercise on Sit-to-Stand Ability and Gait Speed in Stroke: An Experimental Study

Introduction: Stroke frequently results in motor impairments that affect one side of the body, leading to difficulty in performing everyday functional tasks. Among these, sit-to-stand (STS) movement and walking are commonly affected due to reduced lower limb strength, impaired balance, and asymmetrical weight-bearing. The STS movement is a fundamental transitional task required for independence, as it bridges static sitting to dynamic mobility. Since STS performance shares biomechanical and muscular demands with walking, targeted strengthening during this task may influence gait performance. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the added effects of loaded STS exercise on STS ability and gait speed in individuals with stroke. Materials and methods: This experimental study was conducted on 34 stroke participants recruited from the physiotherapy outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital. Participants were screened based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomly allocated into two equal groups. Group A (n = 17) received loaded STS exercise along with conventional therapy, while Group B (n = 17) received only conventional therapy. Pre-intervention assessment was performed using the STS test via NeuroCom Balance Master (NeuroCom International, Inc., Clackamas, OR) to assess STS ability parameters, including weight transfer time, rising index, weight-bearing symmetry, and center of gravity sway velocity. Gait speed was assessed using the 10-meter walk test. Both groups received treatment for 60 minutes per session, three times per week for two weeks. Post-intervention assessments were performed at the end of the second week using the same outcome measures. Results: Intragroup analysis showed a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-intervention values for STS ability parameters, including weight transfer time, rising index, weight-bearing symmetry, and center of gravity sway velocity, in both groups (p < 0.05). Gait speed assessed using the 10-meter walk test also showed statistically significant improvement within both groups. However, intergroup analysis revealed statistically significant differences between Groups A and B for STS ability parameters and gait speed, indicating greater improvement in the experimental group receiving loaded STS exercise. Conclusion: Loaded STS exercise, along with conventional therapy, significantly improved STS ability and gait speed in stroke patients. Compared to conventional therapy alone, loaded STS exercise demonstrated greater improvement in STS parameters and walking speed.