Effect of progressive horizontal resistive force on the comfortable walking speed of individuals post-stroke

Background: Individuals post-stroke select slow comfortable walking speeds (CWS) and the major factors used to select their CWS is unknown.ObjectiveTo determine the extent to which slow CWS post-stroke is achieved through matching a relative force output or targeting a particular walking speed. Methods: Ten neurologically nonimpaired individuals and fourteen chronic stroke survivors with hemiplegia were recruited. Participants were instructed to ?walk at the speed that feels most comfortable? on a treadmill against 12 progressively increasing horizontal resistive force levels applied at the pelvis using a robotic system that allowed participant to self-select their walking speed. We compared slope coefficients of the simple linear regressions between the observed normalized force vs. normalized speed relationship in each group to a slope of -1.0 (i.e. ideal slope for a constant relative force output) and 0.0 (i.e. ideal slope for a constant relative speed). We also compared slope coefficients between groups. Results: The slope coefficients were significantly greater than -1.0 (p?
Source: Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation - Category: Rehabilitation Authors: Source Type: research