A progressive-individualized midstance gait perturbation protocol for reactive balance assessment in stroke survivors.

ABSTRACT: Restoration of balance control is a primary focus of rehabilitation after a stroke. The study developed a gait perturbation, treadmill-based, balance assessment protocol and demonstrated that it can be used to quantify improvements in reactive balance responses among individuals post-stroke. The protocol consists of a sequence of fifteen 90-second treadmill walking trials, with a single perturbation applied during the middle third of each trial. Gait was perturbed by rapid acceleration-deceleration of the treadmill belt at mid-stance of the unaffected leg during a randomly selected gait cycle. The initial perturbation magnitude was based on the participant's maximum walking speed and increased or decreased in each trial, based on success or failure of recovery, as determined from an instru

SUBMITTER: Osman HE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8228467 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature