Many individuals who experience a stroke have problems with their balance. In part, these balance problems may be due to sensory issues. This study will test whether sensory augmentation has the potential to improve post-stroke balance. Sensory augmentation is a method by which non-invasive vibration is used to enhance the sensory information available to users, which may make it easier to feel where they are and prevent losses of balance.
The objective of this study is to design a novel multisensory augmentation approach to improve the control of standing balance in people with chronic stroke. With sensory augmentation, artificial feedback provides the nervous system with information about the dynamic state of the body, which can be used to prevent losses of balance. This clinical trial will investigate whether multisensory augmentation produces sustained balance improvements when applied as a training device. These potential improvements will be assessed by comparing the results of clinical and biomechanical assessments before and after a 10-week balance training program, in which half of the participants will be randomly assigned sensory augmentation.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
36
Participants will complete 20 balance training sessions, in which they are required to keep their balance while standing on a platform that translates under their feet. During training, sensory augmentation will be delivered with an intensity controlled in real-time by their center of pressure motion. The difficulty of the balance training task will progressively increase over successive training sessions.
Participants will complete 20 balance training sessions, in which they are required to keep their balance while standing on a platform that translates under their feet. During training, no sensory stimulation will be delivered. The difficulty of the balance training task will progressively increase over successive training sessions.
Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC
Charleston, South Carolina, United States
RECRUITINGBerg Balance Scale score change
A standard clinical assessment to measure balance performance during various functional tasks
Time frame: Before and after a 10-week period of balance training
Limits of Stability score (paretic direction)
A standard assessment of how far participants are willing and able to shift their weight toward the paretic leg while standing
Time frame: Before and after a 10-week period of balance training
Limits of Stability score (non-paretic direction)
A standard assessment of how far participants are willing and able to shift their weight toward the non-paretic leg while standing
Time frame: Before and after a 10-week period of balance training
Mediolateral center of pressure displacement
A measure of sideways sway, which will be quantified as participants stand on a platform that translates sideways, challenging participant balance
Time frame: Before and after a 10-week period of balance training
Mediolateral center of pressure velocity
A measure of sideways sway, which will be quantified as participants stand on a platform that translates sideways, challenging participant balance
Time frame: Before and after a 10-week period of balance training
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