AIM: To observe the effect of hamstring exercise on the instability of the knee and activities of daily living (ADL) in hemiplegia patients following stroke. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients were randomly divided into therapy group (n = 20), 11 males and 9 females with an average age of (60.5 5.7) years, and control group (n = 18), 8 males and 10 females with the average age of (58.4 4.3) years. Patients in the therapy group were given hamstring exercise based on regular rehabilitation therapy (including intermediate therapeutic exercise for hemiplegia, neuromuscular promotion technique, gait exercise and ADL training), while those in the control group were only given regular rehabilitation therapy. The duration of treatment was 60 d. Lysholm knee scoring scale (LKSS), assessment of Shang Tianmin and Barthel Index were evaluated before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: The scores in each group had a significant increase (p < 0.01), and the scores of the therapy group were significantly superior to those of the control group (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Hamstring exercise for hemiplegia patients after stroke significantly strengthens the stability of the knee, and obviously improves the ADL.

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