Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of rehabilitation stroke unit on walking in stroke patients with hemiplegia. Methods 86 patients with walking impairment after stroke were randomly divided into control group (n=43), who accepted conventional treatment, and experimental group (n=43), who were incorporated into the rehabilitation stroke unit. They were assessed with Berg Balance Scale (BBS),10 m Maximum Walking Speed (MWS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and modified Barthel Index (MBI) before and 8 weeks after treatment.Results The scores of BBS, MWS, FMA and MBI improved after treatment in both groups (P<0.01), and improved more in the experimental group than in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Rehabilitation stroke unit is effective on walking ability in stroke patients with hemiplegia.

Key words: rehabilitation stroke unit, stroke, rehabilitation, walking