The dissertation research was the substantiation of the author's correctional rehabilitation program for restoring the walking pattern in people after a brain contusion.
The research object is the process of correction and restoration of gait patterns in individuals with consequences of traumatic brain injury.
The research subject is the content and structure of the correctional rehabilitation program for amateur athletes with gait pattern impairments after traumatic brain injury for further sports activities.
During the research, the following research methods were utilized: generalized analysis and approaches to systematizing the methodological foundations of physical education and sports were employed to determine the problem’s state, justify the relevance of the work, define the objectives, object, and subject of the research, identify specific methodological features of the correction and restoration process of individuals with gait pattern impairments after traumatic brain injury, and develop a correctional-rehabilitation program.
The level of structure and function according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS), Bohannon test, Lovett manual-muscle test, and goniometry.
The level of activity and participation was determined using the Timed Up and Go test, stabilometry, and basometry.
The level of physical load tolerance was assessed using the 6MWD – 6-minute walking test.
To obtain primary materials, conduct statistical analysis, and develop the correctional rehabilitation program, an exploratory experiment was conducted at the beginning of the research. The effectiveness of the developed correctional rehabilitation program was evaluated based on the results of a formative experiment. Mathematical processing of numerical data in the dissertation work was performed using methods of variation statistics.
The research and pedagogical experiment were conducted from 2018 to 2023 at the Ukrainian Research Institute of Prosthetics, Prosthetics, and Work Rehabilitation in Kharkiv. Thirty-eight men aged 25-42 years (average age 29,5 ± 3,79 years) with remote consequences of closed traumatic brain injury in the late remote period, who had gait pattern impairments, were observed. The post-traumatic period ranged from six months to one year. The injury was sustained during combat operations. All participants were amateur athletes before the injury.
The patients were divided into two groups: the experimental group (EG, n=20) and the control group (CG, n=18), using the matched pairs method. All participants experienced complications after traumatic brain injury (TBI), including decreased muscle strength in the lower limbs, coordination, balance disturbances, and gait pattern impairments. Before the injury, all men were engaged in amateur sports.
The research was conducted under the principles of bioethics outlined in the Helsinki Declaration «Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects» and the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. Emphasis was placed on the principles of voluntariness, anonymity, and trust in the organization and conduct of the research. Written consent for participation was obtained from all men involved in the study.
The scientific novelty of the obtained results lies in:
• the first development, scientific substantiation, and testing of a correctional-rehabilitation program for amateur athletes with gait pattern disturbances following traumatic brain injury, featuring the application of physical exercises aimed at coordination and balance training, resistance walking on a treadmill, vestibular gymnastics, Nordic walking, individual classes on the Redcord suspension system using the Neurac method and segmental-reflex massage;
• the first development of an individual approach to independent vestibular gymnastics, Nordic walking, and sports-rehabilitation exercises for individuals with gait pattern disturbances after traumatic brain injury under the supervision of a physical rehabilitation specialist using modern telecommunication technologies;
• the expansion and supplementation of the informational database regarding the influence of physical culture and sports on improving gait patterns in individuals after traumatic brain injury.
The obtained data can indeed be utilized in the practical work of physical rehabilitation specialists during outpatient rehabilitation, sanatorium rehabilitation, and certified private rehabilitation centers with a focus on physical sports rehabilitation.
