New wearable zaps muscles to retrain stroke-damaged walking
NCT ID NCT04154514
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a wearable device that delivers electrical stimulation to multiple leg muscles in stroke survivors. The goal was to help them walk more naturally by retraining how their muscles work together. 53 chronic stroke survivors used the device over 18 sessions. The study measured muscle activity and walking patterns to see if the training improved coordination.
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) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a wearable therapy that helps stroke survivors walk more naturally by retraining muscle coordination.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 53 participants and no control group. The results may not apply to all stroke survivors, and the device is not yet commercially available.
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
-
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
-
53 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Feb 2019
- Finished
-
Dec 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
40 to 85 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: 1. Right-handed elderly chronic stroke survivors; age ≥40; ≥6 months post-stroke 2. Unilateral ischemic brain lesions 3. Participants should be able to walk continuously for ≥15 min. with or without assistive aid Exclusion Criteria: 1. Cannot comprehend and follow instructions, or with a score \<21 on the mini-mental state exam; 2. Have cardiac pacemaker; 3. Have skin lesions at the locations where FES or EMG electrodes may be attached; 4. Have major depression; 5. Present with severe neglect 6. Patients with type i and ii diabetes
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Chronic stroke are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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
-
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 852, Hong Kong
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- A wearable ankle robot may boost walking recovery after stroke
- Virtual reality rehab aims to bring stroke therapy home
- Which balance training works better after stroke? a trial puts two methods to the test
- Could a cuff and a tingle restore leg strength after stroke?
- Can gentle electrical pulses reawaken hand movement after stroke?
- Can foot sensation predict balance problems in stroke survivors?