Zapping the scalp and leg may help stroke patients walk better
NCT ID NCT07592221
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is testing whether combining two types of electrical stimulation can help people who have had a stroke lift their toes while walking. Participants will receive mild electrical currents on their scalp and leg while doing walking exercises. The goal is to see if this combination reduces foot drop and improves walking safety.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- functional electrical stimulation (FES) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a better way to help people with stroke lift their toes and walk more safely.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early study with only 30 people and no control group, so results may not apply to everyone. The benefits may be small or not last long.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: To participate, you must be: * 18 years or older * Have had 1 or more strokes (\> 6 months) affecting ankle dorsiflexion. * Discharged from all rehabilitative services. * Can walk independently with/without using an assistive device such as a cane without an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) for 15 minutes. Exclusion Criteria: You must not have: * An inability to repeat and understand 2-step commands. * Peripheral neuropathy * Damage to the skull or scalp, such as a fracture History of seizures or epilepsy Extremely high or low blood pressure or heart rate Chest pain or shortness of breath when you are resting Botox injections to your leg or foot in the last 4 months
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Saint Joseph's University
RECRUITINGPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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