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Movement Amplification Gait Training to Enhance Walking Balance Post-Stroke
Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting approximately 795,000 people annually. The Veteran's Health Administration provides over 60,000 outpatient visits for stroke-related care annually at a cost of over $250 million. Among ambulatory people with chronic stroke (PwCS), impaired balance is a common health concern that substantially limits mobility (those with the worst balance walk the least). This project will explore adaptive strategies employed by PwCS in balance challenging environments and if a novel gait training intervention using a robotic device to amplify a person's self-generated movements can improve walking balance. The development of effective interventions to increase walking balance among PwCS will positively impact Veterans' health, quality of life, and ability to participate in walking activities.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 80 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
30
Start Date
2024-08-15
Completion Date
2026-06-30
Last Updated
2025-08-17
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
High intensity gait training in varying external environments
Participants will engage in two 45-minutes treadmill-based gait training sessions. These training sessions will occur on separate days. One session will be performed in a natural unmodified environment. One session will be performed in a movement amplification environment. The goal of each session will be to achieve 40-minutes of walking within a target heart rate range of 70-85% of estimated heart rate max. Each session will begin and end with a 2.5 minute warm-up and cool down respectively. Participants will be given rest breaks as needed.
Treadmill walking in varying external environments
Participants will perform a series of treadmill walking trials. Each trial will consist of 400 total steps. The first 100 steps will be performed in a natural unmodified environment. The next 200 steps will be performed in 1 of 3 external environments (natural unmodified, movement amplification, or unpredictable lateral perturbations). The final 100 steps will be performed in a natural unmodified environment. Participants will be given rest breaks between trials.
Locations (2)
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL
Hines, Illinois, United States