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Stimulating Postural Control to Augment Rehabilitation After Cerebral Stroke (SPARC): a Pilot Trial

Stroke

People living with stroke have a high risk of falling and this risk increases as mobility improves over the first year post-stroke. Despite the high number of falls, there is a lack of interventions to prevent falls after stroke. One possible solution is to alter nerve activity through delivery of a stimulus, such as electrical stimulation. The purpose of this study is to test the study plan and to find out whether enough participants will join a larger study and accept the study procedures of combining electrical stimulation with balance training.

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Participation Requirements

  • Sex:

    ALL

  • Eligible Ages:

    18 and up

Participation Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Aged 18 years or greater
* Diagnosed with a middle cerebral artery stroke \>1 year ago
* Community-dwelling (i.e. not living in long-term care or other inpatient setting)
* Able to stand independently for 60 seconds
* Able to understand spoken English

Exclusion Criteria:

* Any condition other than stroke that significantly affects their postural control (e.g. vestibular disorder, vision loss)
* A prior lower extremity fragility fracture
* A planned injection of botulinum toxin to the legs during the intervention period
* Peripheral nerve damage in the legs
* Contraindications for FES (i.e. implanted electronic device, active cancer or radiation in past six months, uncontrolled epilepsy, skin rash/wound at an electrode site, pregnancy, active deep vein thrombosis)
* Contraindications for TMS (i.e. seizures, metal in the head)
* Previous participation in FES or tSCS within the past 2 years (May affect blinding integrity. Likely uncommon; FES is rarely used in Canada post-stroke.)

Study Location

KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - University Health Network
KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - University Health Network
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Contact Study Team

Primary Contact

Kristin E Musselman, PhD

[email protected]
416-597-3422
Study Sponsored By
University Health Network, Toronto
Participants Required
More Information
Study ID: NCT06987682