Clinical trial NCT02232867: Arm and Leg Cycling Exercise After Stroke
Official title: Adjunct Locomotor Training to Improve Walking Ability After Stroke
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Stroke
Keywords: rehabilitation
stroke
walking
interlimb connections
Lead sponsor: University of Victoria
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
name: Canadian Stroke Network
First posted: 2014-09-05
Enrollment: 20
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: It has been found that arm and leg cycling is similar to walking in terms of the muscle activation patterns and joint ranges of motion. In addition, arm and leg cycling and walking activate similar neural pathways. Another advantage of arm and leg cycling is that it involves coordination of all four limbs in a rhythmic movement. This may be particularly beneficial given previous findings that arm movement contributes to the activation of leg muscles during walking in humans. This is achieved with interconnected neural pathways that link the arms to the legs. These neural interlimb connections remain intact in stroke victims, such that maximizing the contribution of the arms to the legs may increase coordination for walking. Thus, the objectives of this research are to determine if arm and leg cycling can be used to increase the strength of interlimb connections and if this helps to improve walking ability in a post-stroke population. It is hypothesized that arm and leg cycling will transfer to improvements in walking in a post stroke population.

Detailed description: For those who have suffered a stroke, damage to the brain can result in a decreased ability to walk, thus decreasing quality of life in a significant way. Traditionally, body weight supported treadmill training has been used for walking rehabilitation; however, this therapy requires specialized technicians, equipment, and facilities. Arm and leg cycle ergometers, a device commonly found in a gym, could provide an inexpensive and readily accessible means for walking rehabilitation.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* stroke
* lives within the Victoria, Vancouver Island, and Vancouver mainland communities

Exclusion Criteria:

* inability to stand for 5 minutes unassisted

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Treadmill Walking Characteristics
timeFrame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention (average of 4 days following last exercise session)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Interlimb Connections
timeFrame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention (average of 4 days following the last exercise session)
measure: Fugl-Meyer Assessment
timeFrame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention (average of 4 days following the last exercise session)
measure: Brunnstrom recovery stages
timeFrame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention (average of 4 days following the last exercise session)
measure: Timed up and go test
timeFrame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention (average of 4 days following the last exercise session)
measure: 10 meter walk test
timeFrame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention (average of 4 days following the last exercise session)
measure: Six minute walk test
timeFrame: Baseline, immediately post-intervention (average of 4 days following last exercise session)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Victoria
country: Canada
facility: Rehabilitation Neuroscience Laboratory
state: British Columbia
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Victoria
name: E. Paul Zehr, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: