Effects of Treadmill-Based Gait Training in Patients With Stroke

Temperature and humidity will be recorded. Participants will arrive 15 minutes early for acclimatization, seated calmly in the assessment room, wearing shorts and without shoes or socks. They must avoid hot baths, creams, talcum powder, cosmetics, physical exercise, stimulants (caffeine, alcohol, nasal decongestants), smoking, and food intake (water allowed) within two hours prior. During this period, informed consent will be obtained and adhesive markers will be placed 1 cm laterally to the regions of interest: anterior thigh (5 cm above patella), anterior leg (5 cm below patella), posterosuperior leg (popliteal fossa), and posteroinferior leg (10 cm above heel).

Thermal images will be taken in standing position (anterior and posterior views) and supine position (plantar surface), using a tripod-mounted camera at standardized distances and heights. For standing images, the camera will be positioned on a tripod at a distance of 2 m from the subject, at a height of 1

The 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT) will be used to evaluate walking speed. The test will be conducted in a hallway measuring more than 14 meters in length, with at least two meters available before the start line for acceleration and more than two meters after the finish line for deceleration.

The 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) will be used to measure aerobic endurance. It is a submaximal cardiorespiratory effort test that measures the maximum distance a person can walk on a flat surface in six minutes. Before starting, the patient is instructed to walk as far as possible within six minutes, with the option to rest if needed. The evaluator starts the timer when the patient begins walking, pausing it during any rests and resuming when walking continues. Heart rate and oxygen saturation are recorded every minute, along with any pauses.

Gait biomechanics and kinematics will be measured through video recordings and analyzed using Kinovea software. Videos will be captured simultaneously from the frontal and sagittal planes while the patient walks along a marked corridor. Cameras mounted on tripods at a height of 70 cm will be positioned at designated points. The patient will walk back and forth between markers spaced one meter apart, ensuring they pass centrally between the markers in the frontal plane. Recordings will be made in slow motion to accurately observe lower limb movements for detailed biomechanical and kinematic analysis.