Responses to Backward Walking Training Post-Stroke
Eligible age
18–90 yrs
Accepts
All genders
Locations
1 state
Healthy volunteers
No
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About this study
Approximately 15,000 Veterans are hospitalized for stroke each year with new cases costing an estimated $111 million for acute inpatient, $75 million for post-acute inpatient, and $88 million for follow-up care over 6 months post-stroke. The investigators have previously established the effectiveness of a backward walking training program to improve gait and balance in post-stroke Veterans. To best serve Veterans in this era of personalized medicine, there is a current need to determine the appropriate training dose as well as which post-stroke Veterans would most benefit. This study addresses both needs as it will 1) test responses to two different doses (18 vs. 27 sessions) of backward walking training and 2) assess brain activity, measured by magnetic resonance imaging, before and after training intervention to determine its ability to predict rehabilitation response as well as brain mechanisms of behavioral change.
Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
You may qualify if…
- ✓ Berg Balance Scale \< 45
- ✓ Self-selected 10 meter gait speed \< 0.8 m/s
- ✓ Diagnosis of unilateral stroke
- ✓ \> 2 months \< 4 months post-stroke
- ✓ Able to ambulate at least 10 feet with maximum 1 person assist
- ✓ Medically stable
You may not qualify if…
- ✕ Presence of neurological condition other than stroke
- ✕ Serious cardiac conditions (hospitalization for myocardial infarction or heart surgery within 3 months, history of congestive heart failure, documented serious and unstable cardiac arrhythmias, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, severe aortic stenosis, angina or dyspnea at rest or during activities of daily living)
- ✕ Anyone meeting New York Heart Association criteria for Class 3 or Class 4 heart disease will be excluded
- ✕ Severe arthritis or orthopedic problems that limit passive ranges of motion of lower extremity (knee flexion contracture of -10 degrees, knee flexion ROM \< 90 degrees, hip flexion contracture \> 25 degrees, and ankle plantar flexion contracture \> 15 degrees)
- ✕ Severe hypertension with systolic greater than 200 mmHg and diastolic greater than 110 mmHg at rest
- ✕ Pain upon ambulation
- ✕ Receiving physical therapy services for mobility and/or gait
- ✕ Living in a skilled nursing facility
Where it's recruiting
Gainesville · Jacksonville
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · NCT04928482 · last updated 2026-04-08