#  Scientific research with stroke patients 

 



Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability in the U.S., with 80% of survivors having locomotor impairments despite extensive therapy. These locomotor impairments cause more than 50% of stroke survivors to ambulate at a speed slower than that considered necessary for safe community ambulation (i.e. 0.8m/s). As a consequence, the locomotor impairments contribute to reduced physical activity and quality of life after stroke, and ultimately an increased risk for a second stroke and mortality. Particularly, post-stroke patients typically present with hemiparetic gait, characterized as slow, asymmetric, and inefficient. A major contributor to post-stroke hemiparetic gait is impaired paretic ankle function, specifically during the push-off and swing phases of the gait cycle. During push-off, diminished paretic ankle plantarflexion function inhibits the paretic limb’s contribution to forward propulsion. During swing, diminished paretic ankle dorsiflexion function leads to poor foot clearance, increasing the risk of tripping and falling.

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs)—passive devices to prevent foot drop during swing—are commonly prescribed to assist paretic ankle function after stroke. Though AFOs can improve ground clearance during swing, they also inhibit push-off during the step-to-step transition and reduce gait adaptability. As alternatives, various robotic ankle assistive devices have been introduced to assist paretic ankle in walking after stroke. However, only few devices have validated their efficacy in assisting post-stroke patients. Our team has conducted a clinical study to evaluate soft exosuits in assisting walking after stroke. The study showed that soft exosuit can improve ground clearance and paretic forward propulsion, and ultimately improve gait efficiency (i.e. reduce metabolic cost of walking). Additionally, we found that soft exosuit can decrease energetically inefficient gait pattern that post-stroke patients acquire to compensate their paretic ankle function (e.g. hip hiking and circumduction).



 



 

 See also:- [ Biomechanics ](/research-areas/biomechanics)
- [ Scientific research with stroke patients ](/research-areas/scientific-research-stroke-patients)