Effects of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation Combined with Real-Time Vibrotactile Feedback on Muscle Activation and Gait in Patients with Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) gait training combined with real-time vibrotactile feedback (VF) on muscle activation and gait performance in patients with stroke and to compare its effectiveness with that of RAS gait training alone. Methods Twenty-two patients with stroke who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to either the RAS combined with real-time VF (RVT) or RAS only (RT) groups. Both groups received gait training for 30 min per session, five times per week for 4 weeks. Muscle activation was assessed using surface electromyography, and gait parameters were evaluated using the GAITRite ® analysis system before and after the intervention. Results Within-group comparisons revealed significant post-intervention improvements in the activation of the vastus medialis and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of the affected side during the stance phase and the TA during the swing phase in both groups (p < .05). Additionally, the RVT group demonstrated significant improvements in gait velocity, cadence, stance time, single-support phase, stride length, and step time differential on the affected side (p < .05). However, no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups across all outcome variables. Conclusion Although no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups, this study suggests that combining RAS gait training with real-time VF may have the potential to improve muscle activation and gait ability in individuals with stroke. Clinical Trial Registration The study was registered in Clinical Research information Service (Registration number: KCT0010212; date: 19 February 2025), https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/index/index.do