To Develop a Walking Exercise Program for Non-ambulatory Stroke Survivors

NCT ID: NCT06247553

Last Updated: 2025-08-01

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 72 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-02-02
• Study Completion Date: 2027-09-01

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to test a gait (walking) training program in non-ambulatory (unable to walk) chronic stroke survivors. The main question it aims to answer is:

• Will gait training improve the cardiovascular system in non-ambulatory chronic stroke survivors better than a sitting leg cycling exercise?

Participants will walk on a treadmill with a partial body-weight support system and the gait training device. Researchers will compare with a leg-cycling exercise to see if there are significant differences in resting heart rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and A1c levels in the blood.

Detailed Description

Stroke is a leading cause of death and permanent disability. About 795,000 strokes occur in the US each year and more than seven million Americans are living with effects of stroke. Cardiovascular diseases are commonly presented and are primary causes of death in stroke survivors. Numerous studies have proven the benefits of walking or other forms of aerobic exercise for cardiovascular and pulmonary function in people after stroke. This proposed randomized controlled efficacy trial will primarily examine whether the investigators' gait training can improve the cardiovascular system in non-ambulatory chronic stroke survivors better than a sitting leg cycling exercise. The investigators have recently developed a novel gait training device and a training program. The experimental group in the proposed project will undergo an 8-week gait training program using a treadmill with body-weight support and the investigators' novel gait training device. The control group will receive an 8-week sitting leg cycling exercise program with similar exercise intensity, frequency, and duration. The proposed project will examine differences between the two groups using a set of comprehensive outcome assessments of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and sensorimotor functions.

Conditions

Stroke; Walking, Difficulty; Cardiovascular Injury

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Gait Training

The gait training in the experimental group will use a treadmill with a partial body-weight support system and our gait training device. A gait training session will include 2-minute warming up at the beginning and 2-minute cooling down at the end, at a treadmill speed of 0.6 mph. After the warming up, the treadmill speed will increase at every two minutes by an increment of 0.2 mph. Participant's heart rate will be monitored throughout the training session by using a Polar OH1 optical HR sensor placed in the participant's left forearm. Reseachers will stop the increase and maintain the same treadmill speed after the HR reaching the target heart rate zone of 50% - 60% of age-predicted heart rate reserve.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Gait Training

Intervention Type: OTHER

The gait training in the experimental group will use a treadmill with a partial body-weight support system and our gait training device. A gait training session will include 2-minute warming up at the beginning and 2-minute cooling down at the end, at a treadmill speed of 0.6 mph. After the warming up, the treadmill speed will increase at every two minutes by an increment of 0.2 mph. Participant's heart rate will be monitored throughout the training session by using a Polar OH1 optical HR sensor placed in the participant's left forearm. Researchers will stop the increase and maintain the same treadmill speed after the HR reaching the target heart rate zone of 50% - 60% of age-predicted heart rate reserve.

Leg Cycling Exercise

The leg cycling exercise will use a stationary bicycle and the similar protocol as in the experimental group. The cycling exercise will include 2-minute warming up in the beginning and 2-minute cooling down at the end with a speed of 10 rpm and resistance of level 1 of 4. After warming up, the speed will increase at every two minutes by an increment of 5 rpm until reaching the target heart rate zone of 50% - 60% of age-predicted maximum heart rate. If the participant cannot tolerate any more increase in cycling speed before reaching the target heart rate, the resistance will be increased. The training duration will be individualized at the beginning and increase weekly by 5 minutes, depending on the tolerance of the participant, up to the maximum of 30 minutes. Both heart rate and blood pressure will be monitored before, during, and after each session to ensure safety. Each session including setting up will be about one hour.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Leg Cycling Exercise

Intervention Type: OTHER

The leg cycling exercise will use a stationary bicycle and the similar protocol as in the experimental group. The cycling exercise will include 2-minute warming up in the beginning and 2-minute cooling down at the end with a speed of 10 rpm and resistance of level 1 of 4. After warming up, the speed will increase at every two minutes by an increment of 5 rpm until reaching the target heart rate zone of 50% - 60% of age-predicted maximum heart rate. If the participant cannot tolerate any more increase in cycling speed before reaching the target heart rate, the resistance will be increased. The training duration will be individualized at the beginning and increase weekly by 5 minutes, depending on the tolerance of the participant, up to the maximum of 30 minutes. Both heart rate and blood pressure will be monitored before, during, and after each session to ensure safety. Each session including setting up will be about one hour.

Interventions

Gait Training

The gait training in the experimental group will use a treadmill with a partial body-weight support system and our gait training device. A gait training session will include 2-minute warming up at the beginning and 2-minute cooling down at the end, at a treadmill speed of 0.6 mph. After the warming up, the treadmill speed will increase at every two minutes by an increment of 0.2 mph. Participant's heart rate will be monitored throughout the training session by using a Polar OH1 optical HR sensor placed in the participant's left forearm. Researchers will stop the increase and maintain the same treadmill speed after the HR reaching the target heart rate zone of 50% - 60% of age-predicted heart rate reserve.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Leg Cycling Exercise

The leg cycling exercise will use a stationary bicycle and the similar protocol as in the experimental group. The cycling exercise will include 2-minute warming up in the beginning and 2-minute cooling down at the end with a speed of 10 rpm and resistance of level 1 of 4. After warming up, the speed will increase at every two minutes by an increment of 5 rpm until reaching the target heart rate zone of 50% - 60% of age-predicted maximum heart rate. If the participant cannot tolerate any more increase in cycling speed before reaching the target heart rate, the resistance will be increased. The training duration will be individualized at the beginning and increase weekly by 5 minutes, depending on the tolerance of the participant, up to the maximum of 30 minutes. Both heart rate and blood pressure will be monitored before, during, and after each session to ensure safety. Each session including setting up will be about one hour.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• must be 18 to 80 years old
• male or female
• independent ambulation before stroke
• able to understand and follow verbal commands in English
• have physicians' approval for exercise
• be in a stable medical condition
• must be after the first stroke
• unable to walk independently
• in the chronic stage (at least 6 months after stroke onset)

Exclusion Criteria

• musculoskeletal or other disorders that prevent the participant from participating in the exercise
• blood pressure higher than 200/110 mm Hg
• diagnosis of severe depression
• functionally restricted passive movement in the major joints of lower limbs
• unable to speak or understand English
• unable to travel to the Research Laboratory
• currently participate in other walking training using treadmill with or without a body-weight support system
• body weight greater than 400 lbs

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 80 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Kansas Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Wen Liu, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Kansas Medical Center

Locations

University of Kansas Medical Center

Kansas City, Kansas, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Carrie Bailey, MA

Role: CONTACT

cbailey8@kumc.edu

402-709-8841

Wen Liu

Role: CONTACT

wliu@kumc.edu

913-588-4565

Facility Contacts

Carrie Bailey

Role: primary

cbailey8@kumc.edu

Wen Liu

Role: backup

wliu@kumc.edu

913-588-4565

Other Identifiers

MOD00042952

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id