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Stroke Training to Advance Balance During Locomotor Experiences (STABLE) Trial
Sponsor: Northwestern University
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a treadmill gait training performed with a new robotic device will improve walking balance and everyday participation in walking activities for adults who have had a stroke. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does treadmill gait training performed with a new robotic device that challenges their walking balance improve a person's balance and steadiness while walking? 2. Does treadmill gait training performed with a new robotic device help people with stroke walk better and take more steps in their daily lives? We will compare the new robotic training (which uses a cable device to gently pull the participant side-to-side to challenge their balance) to standard high-intensity treadmill training (where no extra pulling forces are applied) to see if combination of high intensity treadmill training in a balance challenging environment works better for stroke recovery specifically for walking balance. Participants will: * Complete 20 sessions of high-intensity walking training on a treadmill * Undergo special walking and balance tests at the Human Agility laboratory 4 different times: before the training, halfway through the training (after 10 sessions), at the end of the training (after 20 sessions), and 3 months after training is completed. * Have their daily walking activity (steps per day) tracked to measure improvements at home and in the community.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 80 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
50
Start Date
2026-09-01
Completion Date
2031-08-31
Last Updated
2026-09-03
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
High intensity gait training in Movement Amplification Environment
Participants will participate in a 20-session, gait training intervention performed in a Movement Amplification Environment, conducted twice a week. A licensed physical therapist will lead gait training sessions using a large commercial treadmill - belt width 1.39 m (Tuff Tread, Willis, TX). To prevent falls, participants will wear a trunk harness attached to a passive overhead safety support. Before the training beings, participants' vitals and their rate of perceived exertion (RPE) will be assessed. Participants will wear a polar heart rate (HR) monitor to record training intensity and a StepWatch5 activity monitor to measure the number of steps. Every training session will begin and end with a 2.5-minute warmup and cool down respectively. The 40-minute body of the training session will be divided into four 10-minute segments: two of the 10-minute segments will consist of Speed and two of Balance. Target heart rate during these periods will be between 70 and 85% of HRmax.
High intensity gait training in natural environment
Participants will participate in a 20-session gait training intervention conducted twice a week. A licensed physical therapist will lead gait training sessions using a large commercial treadmill - belt width 1.39 m (Tuff Tread, Willis, TX). To prevent falls, participants will wear a trunk harness attached to a passive overhead safety support. Before the training beings, participants' vitals and their rate of perceived exertion (RPE) will be assessed. Participants will wear a polar heart rate (HR) monitor to record training intensity and a StepWatch5 activity monitor to measure the number of steps. Every training session will begin and end with a 2.5-minute warmup and cool down respectively. The 40-minute body of the training session will be divided into four 10-minute segments: two of the 10-minute segments will consist of Speed and two of Balance. Target heart rate during these periods will be between 70 and 85% of HRmax.
Locations (1)
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, United States