INTRODUCTION
As a prevention of falls in elderly people with chronic cerebral ischemia, it is necessary to carry out rehabilitation measures with the inclusion of training aimed at improving statolocomotor and cognitive functions, improving proprioceptive sensitivity and reaction speed to external stimuli.
AIMS
To compare the effectiveness of inclusion of hardware balance training on Huber («LPG-Systems», France) and C-mill («Physiomed Elektromedizin AG», Germany) simulators in complex postural control rehabilitation programs for elderly patients with chronic cerebral ischemia (CCI).
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The study included 48 patients (19 men, 29 women), 81% of whom had moderate cognitive impairment. The median age was 76.2±8.5 years. The median Morse scale score before rehabilitation was 50.2 (CI 74—80). The patients were divided into three groups by randomization method: the patients of the 1st comparison group (n=16) were assigned to the Huber stabilizer; the patients of the 2nd comparison group (n=16) underwent training on the track with BOS-video reconstruction of walking «C-mill»; the patients of the control group (n=16) underwent the course of therapeutic gymnastics according to the developed method. The duration of the course in each group amounted to 8 therapeutic procedures. In the dynamics of the conducted trainings we evaluated: the risk of falls, parameters of postural disorders in statics and dynamics, as well as criteria determining cognitive dysfunction and quality of life of patients.
RESULTS
A pronounced improvement of static and dynamic postural indices was observed in the first comparison group, where there was a significant improvement of stabilometric indices: «SL» (p=0.001), amplitude of saggital sway (p=0.014), walking speed (p=0.001) and percentage of hitting the marks (p=0.001). The second comparison group showed significant improvement in dynamic balance parameters: walking speed (p=0.001), stride width (p=0.006), percentage of hitting the marks (p=0.001).
CONCLUSION
Training on rehabilitation simulators according to the applied methods contributed to the improvement of fall risk related indicators as well as the effectiveness of improving motor performance in older adults with HIM compared to the control group. However, training on the stable-platform induced more significant clinical effects on both static and dynamic balance.
