OBJECTIVES: The purposes of the present study were to compare the effects of backward and lateral walking training and to identify whether additional backward or lateral walking training would be more effective in increasing the walking function of poststroke patients. DESIGN: Fifty-one subjects with hemiplegic stroke were randomly allocated to 3 groups, each containing 17 subjects: the control group, the backward walking training group, and the lateral walking training group. The walking abilities of each group were assessed using a 10-m walk test and the GAITRite system for spatiotemporal gait. RESULTS: The results show that there were significantly greater posttest increases in gait velocity (F = -12.09, p = 0.02) and stride length (F = -11.50, p = 0.02), decreases in the values of the 10-m walk test (F = -7.10, p = 0.03) (p < 0.05) and double-limb support period (F = 40.15, p = 0.000), and improvements in gait asymmetry (F = 13.88, p = 0.002) (p < 0.01) in subjects in the lateral walking training group compared with those in the other 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that asymmetric gait patterns in poststroke patients could be improved by receiving additional lateral walking training therapy rather than backward walking training.

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