Principle of Gait Training

It is obvious that training strategies must be consistent with current knowledge. However, there are some gaps between the current knowledge and clinical practice. Thus, it is essential that current knowledge be incorporated into the training plan. The best gait training should not only be effective but also safe, cost-effective, and easily performed. Restraint of the unaffected upper limb is one of the most important components of constraint-induced movement therapy for the upper extremities. Although restraining the less affected lower limb is difficult to accomplish, constraint movement therapy of the lower extremities during whole practice, such as in gait training, is not so difficult to perform during partial practice. Since training effects are determined by the amount of training, it is important to increase the amount of training. Unsupervised, independent training may be a useful strategy toward increasing the amount of training.