Using Real-Time Biofeedback to Increase Walking Speed in Individuals After Stroke
Advisor Information
Brian Knarr
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
26-3-2021 12:00 AM
End Date
26-3-2021 12:00 AM
Abstract
Roughly 800,000 people experience a stroke every year in the United States and stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability. After a stroke, many individuals have muscle weakness on one side of their body, which makes walking and other activities of daily living difficult. There have been a variety of treadmill trainings used to increase walking speed and function. Some trainings have used visual biofeedback of a certain part of a movement and seen improvements in walking. This visual biofeedback allows the user to be more aware of their body movements and how changes to their movement can improve their walking. Our lab has developed a visual feedback system that is less expensive and can be used in a variety of environments. We are asking two questions in this study. How does visual biofeedback affect walking overground? Can we predict if someone will benefit from this training? To answer these questions we will have individuals post-stroke complete a training with our device that will give them feedback of their hip angle. The device will train them to increase their hip angle, which could increase their walking speed. We will measure their walking speed before and after using the device. We will look at the characteristics of the individuals that increase their walking speed using the device. This will help us determine if certain factors give someone a better chance to benefit from this training. This training and device require less equipment than typical trainings and is wearable and portable.
Using Real-Time Biofeedback to Increase Walking Speed in Individuals After Stroke
Roughly 800,000 people experience a stroke every year in the United States and stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability. After a stroke, many individuals have muscle weakness on one side of their body, which makes walking and other activities of daily living difficult. There have been a variety of treadmill trainings used to increase walking speed and function. Some trainings have used visual biofeedback of a certain part of a movement and seen improvements in walking. This visual biofeedback allows the user to be more aware of their body movements and how changes to their movement can improve their walking. Our lab has developed a visual feedback system that is less expensive and can be used in a variety of environments. We are asking two questions in this study. How does visual biofeedback affect walking overground? Can we predict if someone will benefit from this training? To answer these questions we will have individuals post-stroke complete a training with our device that will give them feedback of their hip angle. The device will train them to increase their hip angle, which could increase their walking speed. We will measure their walking speed before and after using the device. We will look at the characteristics of the individuals that increase their walking speed using the device. This will help us determine if certain factors give someone a better chance to benefit from this training. This training and device require less equipment than typical trainings and is wearable and portable.