This study examines the effects of postoperative rehabilitation timing on gait recovery in rats with spinal cord injuries (SCI). The findings aim to provide evidence for determining the optimal time for commencing rehabilitation after SCI. Methods: Sixteen Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly allocated into four groups: the normal group (N group), injury-only group (S group), rehabilitation starting 3 days post-injury group (3 d group), and rehabilitation starting 7 days post-injury group (7 d group). After inducing a moderate spinal cord contusion in the rats, the 3 d and 7 d groups underwent 40 minutes of treadmill rehabilitation, focusing on bipedal walking, on the respective days post-injury. Gait data from the rat’s hindlimbs were captured using a high-speed camera system two weeks post-SCI. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to identify key gait features and behavioral indicators during walking, which were then compared across groups to assess the influence of varied training initiation times on the restoration of lower limb motor function in rats. Results: PCA indicated that, within the principal component space, the 7 d group was most similar to the normal group. This was significantly better than the 3 d group and the S group (both P<0.0001). For the PC1 score, the 7 d group outperformed both the 3 d group and the S group (both P<0.0001), while the 3 d group also surpassed the S group (P=0.0127). Regarding the PC2 score, the discrepancy between the 7 d group and the N group (P<0.05) was less pronounced than for the 3 d group (P<0.0001) and the S group (P<0.001). In key gait parameters, the forward displacement of the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) in the 7 d group was (6.610± 1.030) mm, markedly higher than in both the 3 d group (1.425±1.167) mm and the S group (1.473±1.270) mm (both P<0.0001). The peak speed of MTP in the 7 d group was (5.317 ± 1.380) mm/s, closely mirroring the healthy state (7.517±1.404) mm/s. For ankle joint forward movement, the 7 d group recorded (2.651±0.921) mm, significantly superior to the 3 d group (0.752±0.807) mm and the S group (0.572±0.352) mm (both P<0.0001). Moreover, in terms of stability and speed metrics, the 3 d group displayed the most substantial deviation from the normal, with values of (0.647±0.376) s for standing time and (2.155±1.493) s for vertical knee joint oscillation (P<0.0001). Conclusion：Rats in the 7 d group exhibited gait metrics more akin to the normal state compared to the 3d group, suggesting a superior hindlimb functional recovery.