Thigh muscle activity and walking in people with stiff-knee gait after stroke
Compares thigh muscle activity and walking in adults with stiff-knee gait after stroke.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Quadriceps Muscle Activity and Gait Kinematics in Patients With Post-Stroke Stiff-Knee Gait Compared With Healthy Controls
Key facts
- Where
- Luxembourg, LuxembourgSee the site
Where in Luxembourg
- Centre National de Rééducation Fonctionnelle et de RéadaptationLuxembourg, LuxembourgTaking people
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
- Frédéric Chantraine
- Trial code
- NCT07857967
- Record updated
- 5 October 2026
- Original description
Stiff-knee gait (SKG) is a frequent gait abnormality in people with post-stroke hemiparesis and is characterized by insufficient knee flexion during the swing phase of walking. One potential mechanism is inappropriate activation of one or more heads of the quadriceps during pre-swing and early swing.Read full original descriptionShow less
Comparison of Quadriceps Electromyographic Activity and Gait Kinematics Between Patients With Post-Stroke Stiff-Knee Gait and Healthy Controls
Stiff-knee gait (SKG) is a frequent gait abnormality in people with post-stroke hemiparesis and is characterized by insufficient knee flexion during the swing phase of walking. One potential mechanism is inappropriate activation of one or more heads of the quadriceps during pre-swing and early swing.
This observational study will compare quadriceps electromyographic activity and gait kinematics between adults with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis with SKG and healthy adult controls.
The study will include 30 participants with post-stroke SKG and 24 healthy controls. Quantitative gait analysis will be performed using three-dimensional motion analysis together with electromyography (EMG). Ultrasound-guided fine-wire electrodes will record the activity of all four heads of the quadriceps: rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis, and vastus lateralis.
Healthy controls will be assessed while walking at a slow speed selected to provide a reference condition that is comparable with the walking speeds typically observed in participants with post-stroke hemiparesis.
The primary outcome is the difference in fine-wire EMG activation patterns of the four quadriceps heads between participants with post-stroke SKG and healthy controls, with particular attention to pre-swing and early swing.
Secondary outcomes will assess differences in gait kinematics between groups, including peak knee flexion during the swing phase and knee flexion-extension patterns throughout the gait cycle.
The study aims to improve understanding of the muscular mechanisms underlying post-stroke SKG and to establish relevant fine-wire EMG reference patterns for all four quadriceps heads in healthy individuals walking at a speed comparable with patients with hemiparesis.
Inclusion: Clinical diagnosis of cerebral stroke with hemiparesis; Age greater than 18 years; Right- or left-sided hemiparesis following stroke; Stroke occurred at least 6 months before assessment; Able to walk independently without a technical walking aid; Reduced knee flexion during the swing phase of gait (stiff-knee gait) identified by visual observation by an experienced clinician; Age greater than 18 years; No pathology likely to alter gait; No abnormality of knee kinematics identified during visual observation by an experienced clinician.
Exclusion: Medication likely to affect gait; Other disease or history of disease likely to influence gait, including peripheral neurological, cerebellar, vestibular, rheumatological, orthopedic, or metabolic disorders; Visual or hearing impairment; Botulinum toxin injection into the lower-limb muscles within the preceding 6 months; Use of illicit substances within 24 hours before the gait assessment.