Environmental-perturbation Balance Training Improves Functional Outcomes in Patients With Subacute Stroke
Key facts
- Who runs it
- First People's Hospital of Shenyang
- Where
- China1 site in 1 countryChoose a country to see its sites
- Trial code
- Status
- Withdrawn
- Started
- 20 Jul 2026
- Expected to end
- 1 Dec 2027
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Environmental-perturbation balance training
- Conventional rehabilitation training
- Record updated
- 3 August 2026
- Why it stopped
- Principal Investigator decided to withdraw the study prior to enrollment based on internal strategic review
Who can take part
- Age
- 18 years to 85 years
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Cannot take part
The registry criteria, word for word
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Who can take part
- Diagnosed with stroke according to the International Symposium on Cerebral Vascular Disease criteria, with definite confirmation by imaging modalities such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- First-ever or recurrent cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral infarction. According to the Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Guideline for Healthcare Professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and the Chinese Guidelines for Early Rehabilitation of Stroke, rehabilitation can be initiated once the patient's condition is stable (vital signs are stable and no further progression of symptoms and signs)
- Total NIHSS score between 5 and 20 (inclusive) prior to randomization, with a lower limb motor score ≥2
- Presence of balance dysfunction, with a miniBESTest total score ≤12
- Good compliance with rehabilitation therapy and no contraindications to active training
- Age between 18 and 85 years
- The subject or their legal representative is able and willing to provide written informed consent
Who cannot take part
- History of prior cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral infarction with residual significant limb dysfunction
- Concomitant severe cardiopulmonary, hepatic, or renal insufficiency, or other serious medical diseases
- Presence of neurological or musculoskeletal disorders affecting balance function prior to stroke onset
- Severe cognitive impairment or sensory aphasia that precludes communication and cooperation with treatment
- Uncontrolled severe hypertension or diabetes mellitus
- Active bleeding or deep vein thrombosis
- Any other condition that may interfere with the outcomes of this study
- History of limb amputation affecting bilateral coordination or independent walking ability
- Current participation in another clinical trial or rehabilitation program that may affect the results of this study
- Pregnancy
This trial has no sites in United States.
It has sites in one country. Choose a country to see its sites.
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
This study innovatively proposes an "environment-perturbation balance training (E-PBT)" intervention, which delivers stable, graded environmental perturbations to keep the challenges within the manageable range. This approach can significantly reduce fear, align with the psychological characteristics of subacute stroke patients, and improve training engagement and safety, thereby filling the current research gap that has insufficiently addressed subacute patients and those with moderate-to-low functional levels. By altering the size and angle of the support surface, this training heightens patients' alertness and psychological adaptability, prompting them to actively integrate sensory information and adjust motor strategies. In turn, this can more effectively reshape internal model of balance control and facilitate genuine neuroadaptive learning in the brain. Moreover, this training more closely mimics real-life fall scenarios, with the aim of directly cultivating the proactive postural control and strategic decision-making abilities required in daily living.
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This study aims to systematically evaluate the efficacy of this E-PBT intervention on functional recovery in patients during the subacute stage of stroke through a prospective randomized controlled trial, and to explore its potential effects on balance ability, activities of daily living, and overall functional outcomes, thereby providing a more effective and clinically translatable new strategy for post-stroke rehabilitation.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Environmental-perturbation balance training groupTreatment being tested
Participants in the experimental group will receive environmental-perturbation balance training, at a frequency of 5 sessions per week for 8 weeks (±1 week). Each training session will be structured as follows: 30 minutes in total, consisting of a warm-up, environmental-perturbation balance training, and a cool-down period.
Treatment: Environmental-perturbation balance training
- Conventional rehabilitation training groupExisting treatment, for comparison
Participants in the control group will receive conventional rehabilitation training at a frequency of 5 sessions per week for 8 weeks (±1 week). Each session will be structured as follows: 30 minutes in total, consisting of a warm-up, conventional rehabilitation training, and a cool-down period.
Treatment: Conventional rehabilitation training
Data and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Environmental-Perturbation Balance Training Improves Functional Outcomes in Patients With Subacute Stroke: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial
- Record updated
- 3 August 2026