ENMS With Balance Feedback for Post-stroke Ankle-foot Rehabilitation

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University60 enrolled

Overview

In this work, a novel hybrid ankle-foot robot is designed for gait rehabilitation after stroke, i.e., exoneuromusculoskeleton with balance sensing feedback (ENMS-BSF) by integrating the advantages of soft pneumatic muscle, functional electrical stimulation, exoskeleton and foot balance feedback in one system. With the assistance of the ENMS-BSF the foot drop and foot inversion could be corrected with improved muscle coordination in the paretic lower limb. The device is wearable and light-in-weight for unilateral application during walking. It is hypothesized that with the intervention of the ENMS-BSF the gait pattern of persons after stroke can be improved with long-term rehabilitative effects.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Cerebrovascular Stroke Foot Drop Foot Inversion Deformity

Interventions

ENMS-BSF assisted gait trainingDEVICE

1. ENMS-BSF will correct the foot-drop and foot inversion during post-stroke walking. 2. Each participant will receive 20 sessions device assisted training, with an intensity of 3-5 sessions/week, 1 hr/session. 3. In each session, a participant will complete the device-assisted walking on flat ground with a natural speed and with the aid of a four-pronged cane.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 70 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * At least 6 months after the onset of stroke * Have sufficient cognition to follow simple instructions, as well as understand the content and purpose of the experiment (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score \>21). * Have mild-to-moderate motor impairment in the affected lower limb with foot drop but be capable of standing and walking without manual assistance. * Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), total score on the lower limb \<20 * Functional Ambulatory Category (FAC) ≥4 * Berg Balance Scale (BBS) ≥40 Exclusion Criteria: * The exclusion criteria will be server spasticity at the ankle joint measured by Modified Ashworth Score (MAS) \>3. * Receiving other lower limb rehabilitative interventions at the same time

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in Fugl-Meyer Assessment

To evaluate the voluntary motor function of the lower limb after the interventions

Time frame: before, one day after, and 3 months after the training

Central Contacts

Xiaoling Hu, PhD

CONTACT

34003206 xiaoling.hu@polyu.edu.hk

Cherrie Mok