PURPOSE: This study was to examine the effects of treadmill gait training at different controlled inclinations on the standing balance of hemiplegic patients caused by cerebrovascular injury. METHODS: The study's subjects were 44 patients with chronic stroke, randomly divided into three experimental groups: 0 degrees treadmill gait training (n = 14), 5 degrees treadmill gait training (n = 15), and 10 degrees treadmill gait training (n = 15). In addition to conventional physical therapy, the subjects underwent gait training on a treadmill with one of three different inclinations for 30 min per session five times per week for six weeks. The Biodex balance system SD, Berg Balance Scale, and timed up and go tests were used to measure the postural balance of the patients. RESULTS: This study showed that gait training on a treadmill at controlled inclinations of 0 degrees, 5 degrees, and 10 degrees positively influenced the stroke patients' standing balance. The 5 degrees and 10 degrees inclination gait training groups showed significantly more improvement than the 0 degrees inclination group. CONCLUSION: Gait training on a treadmill with inclinations of 0 degrees, 5 degrees, or 10 degrees can be said to positively affect the postural balance of hemiplegic patients due to stroke. In particular, 5 degrees and 10 degrees inclination gait training offered more significant improvement than the 0 degrees inclination gait training group. When added to regular treatment routines, gait training at controlled inclinations is an effective intervention for improving hemiplegia due to postural balance.

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