Stroke Training to Advance Balance During Locomotor Experiences (STABLE) Trial
Key facts
- Where
- Chicago, United StatesSee the site
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 80 years old?
Where in United States
- Northwestern UniversityChicago, United StatesNo longer taking part
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
- Northwestern University
- Trial code
- NCT07802470
- Record updated
- 3 September 2026
- Original description
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a treadmill gait training performed with a new robotic device will improve walking balance and everyday participation in walking activities for adults who have had a stroke. The main questions it aims to answer are:Read full original descriptionShow less
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a treadmill gait training performed with a new robotic device will improve walking balance and everyday participation in walking activities for adults who have had a stroke. The main questions it aims to answer are:
1. Does treadmill gait training performed with a new robotic device that challenges their walking balance improve a person's balance and steadiness while walking? 2. Does treadmill gait training performed with a new robotic device help people with stroke walk better and take more steps in their daily lives? We will compare the new robotic training (which uses a cable device to gently pull the participant side-to-side to challenge their balance) to standard high-intensity treadmill training (where no extra pulling forces are applied) to see if combination of high intensity treadmill training in a balance challenging environment works better for stroke recovery specifically for walking balance.
Participants will:
* Complete 20 sessions of high-intensity walking training on a treadmill * Undergo special walking and balance tests at the Human Agility laboratory 4 different times: before the training, halfway through the training (after 10 sessions), at the end of the training (after 20 sessions), and 3 months after training is completed. * Have their daily walking activity (steps per day) tracked to measure improvements at home and in the community.
Inclusion: 18 to 80 years of age; diagnosis of hemiparetic stroke; more than 6 months post-stroke; ability to ambulate over ground for 10 meters with no physical assistance, use of unilateral assistive devices, such as a single cane, and use of braces that do not cross the knee joint, such as an ankle-foot orthosis, are permitted; passive range of motion of the legs within functional limits and not restricting the ability to engage in locomotor training and; medically stable with medical clearance from physician to participate.
Exclusion: enrollment in concurrent physical therapy; cognitive impairment (score ≤22/30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale); severe cardiovascular, musculoskeletal or other neurological conditions affecting gait and balance; aphasia (score ≥71/100 on the Mississippi Aphasia Screening Test); excessive spasticity in lower limbs (score >3 on the Modified Ashworth Scale); unable to tolerate 10-min. of standing; use of orthotics crossing the knee joint; known pregnancy; and.