Movement-amplifying treadmill training to improve walking balance after stroke
Official title: Movement Amplification Gait Training to Enhance Walking Balance Post-Stroke
Funded at Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital · NIH-11144445 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses a treadmill system that gently amplifies side-to-side movements to help people with chronic stroke improve their walking balance.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hines, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I21RX004882-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11144445 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with chronic stroke who have walking balance problems and can safely walk on a treadmill.
✕Less likely to help
People who cannot walk on a treadmill, have very recent or medically unstable strokes, or severe cognitive or medical issues are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.
What this research studies
You would walk on a treadmill while wearing a cable-driven system that applies gentle side-to-side forces tied to your natural sway, creating a Movement Amplification Environment (MAE). Researchers will compare training in the MAE with training that uses unpredictable sideways pushes to see how each changes your walking patterns. Sessions are delivered as high-intensity gait training and therapists will measure walking during and immediately after practice to see if improvements carry over. The team will also track whether delivering high-intensity training inside the MAE is practical and comfortable for participants.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could improve walking balance and reduce fall risk for people with chronic stroke.
How similar studies have gone: Perturbation-based balance training has shown benefits for reactive balance, but movement-amplification approaches that target anticipatory control are newer and less tested in people with stroke.
Where this research is happening
-
Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital
Hines, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gordon, Keith Edward — Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital
- Study coordinator: Gordon, Keith Edward
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Movement-Enhanced Walking Training to Improve Balance After Stroke
A specialized treadmill training using a cable-driven device, called Movement Amplification Environment (MAE), helps people with chronic stroke improve walking balance by enhancing their own movement awareness.
-
Teleassessment of gait and balance after stroke to expand remote rehabilitation
A multi-site study tests simple remote gait and balance tests for stroke survivors to enable safer, easier rehabilitation from home.
-
Improving walking balance for stroke survivors using advanced training techniques
This study is testing a new way to help stroke survivors improve their walking balance and speed using a special robot that gives gentle pushes while they walk on a treadmill, making it easier for them to regain their balance and walk better.
-
Improving How the Great Toe Works and Its Link to Walking and Balance in Older Adults
Researchers are testing new ways to measure how the big toe functions and how that relates to walking balance in adults, with a focus on older individuals.
-
Improving balance and walking in older adults with gentle vestibular electrical stimulation
This uses very small, nearly unnoticeable electrical pulses to the balance system to help balance and walking in older adults with age-related vestibular loss.
-
MINT conditioning to improve post-stroke walking with a wearable device
A wearable, wireless EMG-based system called MINT helps people who’ve had a stroke re-train leg muscles to walk more easily, especially at home.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.