Clinical trials, pilot studies and case series that included adults (least 18 years) at any stage of post-stroke recovery and studied at least one standing balance exercise were eligible for inclusion. Studies had to provide at least one outcome that measured balance or postural challenge using validated methods that were reliable for individuals with stroke. Studies were excluded if they evaluated neurological gait manipulations, unless balance training was applied with the control group. Studies were excluded if they were case studies or referred to data pre-2006.
The included studies considered patients in the acute stage of post-stroke recovery (up to six months), patients in the subacute stage (six to 12 months) and patients in the chronic stage (>12 months). The type of balance training intervention varied from group sessions to one-to-one sessions and varied in intensity and duration. The control group varied and included usual care, no intervention, general physiotherapy sessions, conventional gait training and therapist-centred approach. The case mix of patients was variable: some studies included mixed severity patients and other studies included only high- or moderate- function patients. Most patients were exposed to other treatments. Most studies used the Berg Balance Scale test. Patient age ranged from 24 to 98 years.
The authors did not state how many reviewers performed study selection.