Background/Objectives: One of the primary goals of neurorehabilitation after stroke is gait reeducation, as it provides the patient with greater autonomy and enhances their safety in daily activities. A preliminary clinical study was undertaken to determine whether robotic gait reeducation using the Lokomat device is more effective than conventional therapy in achieving gait symmetry. Methods: The research group consisted of 107 patients, with an average age of 63.54 years, all in the subacute stage of hemiparesis. These patients underwent 4 weeks of neurorehabilitation and were assigned into experimental and control groups. The patients in the experimental group underwent neurorehabilitation (20 sessions) and twice-weekly walking on the Lokomat device (10 sessions). The control group received equivalent neurorehabilitation and conventional gait reeducation. We monitored the return of ideal limb loading (to a 50:50 ratio) and the restoration of the step length on the paretic limb to a physiological length (73 cm), as well as the subsequent restoration of gait symmetry. The measurements were performed using the HP Cosmos Zebris Treadmill FDM-T device. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was conducted within each group to analyze the effectiveness of gait reeducation before and after therapy. To compare the results between the two groups, the Mann–Whitney test (α = 0.05) was employed. Results: There was no significant difference between the robotic and conventional therapy groups (p = 0.432 (>0.05)). A significant change occurred only in the control group in the 50:50 limb loading parameter (p = 0.042). There were no significant changes in the other parameters. Conclusions: Under the conditions of our study, robot-guided gait reeducation did not appear to be more effective than conventional therapy. The monthly duration of gait reeducation is insufficient to achieve a symmetrical gait in patients with spastic hemiparesis.

Background: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is one of the most common neuropsychological complications following stroke and is associated with greater functional disability and poorer functional outcomes. However, the relationship between self-reported depressive symptoms and functional independence remains insufficiently understood. The aim of this study was to examine the association between self-reported depressive symptoms and functional independence in patients in the chronic phase after stroke and examine selected sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with depressive symptom severity. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The sample consisted of 105 patients (64.75 ± 11.23 years) assessed 6–24 months after stroke. Functional independence was evaluated using the Functional Independence Measure and Functional Assessment Measure (FIM + FAM). Self-reported depressive symptoms were assessed using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Spearman correlation analysis and multiple linear regression were applied. Results: A significant positive correlation was identified between total FIM + FAM score and depressive symptom severity (ρ = 0.479, p < 0.001). Significant associations were also observed for motor (ρ = 0.475, p < 0.001), cognitive (ρ = 0.447, p < 0.001), and EADL domains (ρ = 0.544, p < 0.001), with the strongest relationship found in EADL. After adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical factors, total FIM + FAM was not independently associated with depressive symptom severity (B = 0.032, p = 0.079), and neither were its individual domains. Social status remained independently associated with depressive symptom severity, with patients living alone reporting lower depressive symptom scores. Conclusions: Functional independence was positively associated with depressive symptom severity in bivariate analyses but not after adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical factors. Social status remained independently associated with depressive symptom severity, highlighting the complex interplay between functional, social, and psychological factors after stroke.

The development of spinal surgery makes it possible to perform minimally invasive interventions in the treatment of LDD (lumbar disc degeneration). The lumbar spine is most often indicated for surgery. At present, several types of operations (decompression, fusion, dynamic stabilization) are performed in the surgical solution of vertebrogenic problems in the lumbar spine. What type of operation and operative technique the operator chooses depends on the graphic documentation of the affected section of the spine and the clinical picture. At present, the minimally invasive surgical technique called minimally invasive spinal surgery (MISS). The procedure allows less tissue damage, less blood loss, earlier verticalization and a shorter hospitalization period. this fact points to the necessity of accelerated forms of rehabilitation in spinal surgery. We followed 250 patients whose average length of hospitalization after mini-invasive procedures at NCHK in Ružomberok in 2022 was 4.84±0.81 days. We appeal to the need for preoperative preparation, which will speed up postoperative rehabilitation.

A stroke is defined as a sudden disruption of the blood supply to the brain tissue. It is the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. The number of individuals with a stroke in the Czech Republic is 350 patients per 100,000 individuals per year. This means that roughly 35,000 people suffer from a stroke in the Czech Republic every year. Patients who have survived a stroke often suffer from hemiparesis, which affects the stereotype of walking. A characteristic feature of hemiparetic gait is circumduction movement in the hip joint and weakening of the ankle extensor groups, reduced speed, shorter step length and less load on the paretic limb. As part of the rehabilitation, it is possible to stimulate the paretic lower limb using the walkaide. It is a type of functional electrical stimulation, which causes irritation of the peripheral nerve and subsequent activation of the paretic muscle. The aim of the presented study was to propose a methodology for objectifying the influence of electrical stimulation using WalkAide on selected walking parameters.