Testing backward walking training to help walking after stroke
Compares two training amounts of backward walking in adults recovering from stroke.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Responses to Backward Walking Training Post-Stroke
Key facts
- Where
- Gainesville and Jacksonville, United StatesSee the 2 sites
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 90 years old?
Source: NCT04928482, who can take part
Where in United States
- North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, FLGainesville, United StatesTaking people
- Brooks RehabilitationJacksonville, United StatesNot yet recruiting
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- VA Office of Research and Development
- Trial code
- NCT04928482
- Record updated
- 8 April 2026
- Original description
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.Read full original descriptionShow less
Brain and Behavioral Responses to Backward Walking Training Post-Stroke
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.
Inclusion: 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.
Exclusion: Receiving physical therapy services for mobility and/or gait; 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 hypertension with systolic greater than 200 mmHg and diastolic greater than 110 mmHg at rest; 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); Pain upon ambulation; Living in a skilled nursing facility; Any MRI contraindication, including but not limited to the presence of metal, MR sensitive implanted medical devices, or claustrophobia.