Gait Adaptability Training, Using Augmented Reality, for Individuals in the Chronic Phase After Stroke

Background: The majority of stroke survivors regain walking ability, however the ability to adapt their gait to meet environmental demands remains impaired. This impaired gait adaptability has a profound impact on activities of daily living and quality of life. Treatment targeting these gait deficiencies is, therefore, critical for allowing safe and independent community ambulation in people with stroke. Rehabilitation programs targeting gait adaptability have gained interest in clinical practice. Besides, the use of augmented and virtual reality in rehabilitation programs becomes more common. Concerning gait adaptability, training programs are developed using the Cmill, an instrumented treadmill with augmented reality. Even though the efficacy of these interventions is limited to small, pilot trials, results are promising. Based on these results we hypothesize that a gait training program using the Cmill will improve gait adaptability and daily-life gait performance in people in the chronic phase after stroke.

Objective: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a gait training program using an instrumented treadmill with virtual and augmented reality for improving gait adaptability in people in the chronic phase after stroke. A second objective is to identify patient characteristics that predict a more favorable response to training.

Study design: Randomized, waiting-list controlled trial to evaluate gait adaptability training

Study population: 84 stroke patients in the chronic phase after stroke