To Develop a Walking Exercise Program for Non-ambulatory Stroke Survivors
University of Kansas Medical Center
72 participants
Feb 2, 2024
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to test a gait (walking) training program in non-ambulatory (unable to walk) chronic stroke survivors. The main question it aims to answer is: • Will gait training improve the cardiovascular system in non-ambulatory chronic stroke survivors better than a sitting leg cycling exercise? Participants will walk on a treadmill with a partial body-weight support system and the gait training device. Researchers will compare with a leg-cycling exercise to see if there are significant differences in resting heart rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and A1c levels in the blood.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria9
- must be 18 to 80 years old
- male or female
- independent ambulation before stroke
- able to understand and follow verbal commands in English
- have physicians' approval for exercise
- be in a stable medical condition
- must be after the first stroke
- unable to walk independently
- in the chronic stage (at least 6 months after stroke onset)
Exclusion Criteria8
- musculoskeletal or other disorders that prevent the participant from participating in the exercise
- blood pressure higher than 200/110 mm Hg
- diagnosis of severe depression
- functionally restricted passive movement in the major joints of lower limbs
- unable to speak or understand English
- unable to travel to the Research Laboratory
- currently participate in other walking training using treadmill with or without a body-weight support system
- body weight greater than 400 lbs
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Interventions
The gait training in the experimental group will use a treadmill with a partial body-weight support system and our gait training device. A gait training session will include 2-minute warming up at the beginning and 2-minute cooling down at the end, at a treadmill speed of 0.6 mph. After the warming up, the treadmill speed will increase at every two minutes by an increment of 0.2 mph. Participant's heart rate will be monitored throughout the training session by using a Polar OH1 optical HR sensor placed in the participant's left forearm. Researchers will stop the increase and maintain the same treadmill speed after the HR reaching the target heart rate zone of 50% - 60% of age-predicted heart rate reserve.
The leg cycling exercise will use a stationary bicycle and the similar protocol as in the experimental group. The cycling exercise will include 2-minute warming up in the beginning and 2-minute cooling down at the end with a speed of 10 rpm and resistance of level 1 of 4. After warming up, the speed will increase at every two minutes by an increment of 5 rpm until reaching the target heart rate zone of 50% - 60% of age-predicted maximum heart rate. If the participant cannot tolerate any more increase in cycling speed before reaching the target heart rate, the resistance will be increased. The training duration will be individualized at the beginning and increase weekly by 5 minutes, depending on the tolerance of the participant, up to the maximum of 30 minutes. Both heart rate and blood pressure will be monitored before, during, and after each session to ensure safety. Each session including setting up will be about one hour.
Locations(1)
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NCT06247553