Improvements in Gait Function Following Integrative Korean–Western Medicine Treatment in Older Adults with Chronic Stroke: A Retrospective Exploratory Study

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Patients with chronic stroke aged 65 years or older and who are more than 6 months post-onset are generally considered to have reached a rehabilitation plateau, beyond which further functional improvement is difficult to achieve. This study aimed to evaluate changes in gait function before and after integrative Korean–Western medicine treatment in older adults with chronic stroke. Materials and Methods: In this single-center, retrospective, single-group pre–post observational study, we analyzed the medical records of 15 patients with chronic stroke aged ≥65 years who received integrative Korean–Western medicine treatment five times per week for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the step length ratio, reflecting gait symmetry. Secondary outcomes included walking velocity, lateral symmetry, center of pressure (COP)-related parameters, manual muscle test (MMT) scores, and Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scores. Results: The step length ratio increased significantly from 0.61 [0.50–0.70] before treatment to 0.86 [0.62–0.94] after treatment (p = 0.009, r = 0.675). Walking velocity (p = 0.006, r = 0.715) and mean COP velocity (p = 0.007, d = −0.822) also improved significantly. In contrast, no significant changes were observed in MMT or FMA scores, and no treatment-related adverse events were recorded. Conclusions: In this retrospective, uncontrolled, single-group study, significant improvements in gait symmetry, walking velocity, and postural control were observed following integrative Korean–Western medicine treatment in older adults with chronic stroke. The improvement in gait function without a corresponding change in FMA-based motor function—although both MMT and FMA scores were relatively high at baseline, potentially limiting sensitivity to detect further motor improvement—raises the hypothesis that other mechanisms, potentially including enhanced sensorimotor integration, may have contributed to these changes; however, this mechanistic interpretation remains speculative and was not directly tested. Randomized controlled trials with appropriate control groups are warranted to further verify these findings.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Medicina, 2026 · DOI ↗