OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that balance rehabilitation with visual cue deprivation improves balance more effectively than rehabilitation with free vision. DESIGN: Single-blind, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Public rehabilitation center in France. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty patients with hemiplegia after a single-hemisphere stroke that occurred at least 12 months before the study. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 balance rehabilitation programs-with and without visual cue deprivation. In all other respects, the programs were identical. Each lasted for 1 hour and was implemented 5 days a week for 4 weeks. All patients completed the program. Mean outcome measures Balance under 6 sensory conditions was assessed by computerized dynamic posturography (EquiTest), gait velocity, timed stair climbing, and self-assessment of ease of gait before and after program completion. RESULTS: After completing the program, balance, gait velocity, and self-assessment of gait improved significantly in all patients. The improvements in gait velocity (p = 0.03) and timed stair climbing (p = 0.01) correlated significantly with improved balance. Balance improved more in the vision-deprived group than in the free-vision group. CONCLUSIONS: Balance improved more after rehabilitation with visual deprivation than with free vision. Visual overuse may be a compensatory strategy for coping with initial imbalance exacerbated by traditional rehabilitation.

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