Custom ankle braces could help stroke patients walk better
NCT ID NCT06304519
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested different levels of stiffness in custom ankle braces for 40 people who had a stroke. The goal was to find the best brace for each person and create simple guidelines that doctors and therapists can use to prescribe the right brace. Participants walked with five different brace settings, and researchers measured walking function, clinical tests, and patient feedback.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- customized carbon fiber ankle-foot orthosis (brace)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to simple guidelines that help clinicians pick the right ankle brace for each stroke survivor, improving walking ability.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 40 participants. The guidelines may not work for everyone and need more testing before they can be widely used.
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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40 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2023
- Finished
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Mar 2026
- 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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21 to 85 years
- 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: * chronic stroke (\> 6 months post-stroke) * been prescribed an AFO by a clinician * have plantar flexor strength deficits (unable to complete at least 25 standing heel-raises * have at least 5 degrees of passive dorsiflexion range of motion (as measured during the clinical evaluation in Visit 1). Exclusion Criteria: * Those that will not be included in this study are individuals with 1) Evidence of cerebellar stroke on clinical MRI, 2) Other neurologic conditions in addition to stroke, 3) Sensorimotor neglect, 4) Inability to walk outside the home prior to the stroke, 5) Total joint replacement or orthopedic problems in the lower limbs or spine that limit walking, 6) Coronary artery bypass graft or myocardial infarction within past 3 months, 7) Unexplained dizziness in last 6 months, 8) Inability to communicate with investigators, 9) Lack of decisional capacity.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Delaware STAR Campus
Newark, Delaware, 19713, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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