Abstract: Objective To investigate the effects of body-weight support treadmill training(BWSTT) on function of lower limbs.Methods 46 hemiplegic patients after stroke were randomly divided into the therapy group(n=23) and control group(n=23).The subjects of both groups were administered with standardized rehabilitation program.The therapy group was also given BWSTT in addition.Both groups were evaluated before and after treatment using Functional Ambulation Category(FAC),Fugl-Meyer Assessment(FMA),Berg Balance Scale(BBS).Results Before treatment,there was no significant difference between these 2 groups in terms of scores with FAC,FMA and BBS.After treatment,both groups were significantly improved regard to their scores with FAC,FMA and BBS(P<0.01),with the therapy group scored significantly better than the control group(P<0.01).Conclusion BWSTT can significantly improve walk ability and balance function of the hemiplegic patients after stroke.

Key words: body-weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT), stroke, hemiplegia, function of lower limbs, balance, rehabilitation