The Effect of Gait Imagery on the Muscular Activity of Lower Limbs and Lower Body Kinematics in Stroke Survivors

NCT07347756 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: IGA_FTK_2021_01413/2021
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of normal gait imagery and gait on a line imagery on lower limb muscle activity and lower body kinematics in stroke survivors.

Conditions

Motor Imagery; Stroke

Keywords

motor imagery; gait; surface electromyography; angular velocity; acceleration; stroke

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Objective measurement of muscle activity

  Muscle activity \[V\] will be measured by surface electromyography during all tasks (rest and gait imagery before/after real gait execution) across both gait imagery modalities (normal gait imagery and gait on the line imagery).

  Day 1

• Objective measurement of lower body kinematics 1

  Lower body kinematics will be measured by gyroscope \[deg/s\] during all tasks (rest and gait imagery before/after real gait execution) across both gait imagery modalities (normal gait imagery and gait on the line imagery).

  Day 1

• Objective measurement of lower body kinematics 2

  Lower body kinematics will also be measured by accelerometer \[g\] during all tasks (rest and gait imagery before/after real gait execution) across both gait imagery modalities (normal gait imagery and gait on the line imagery).

  Day 1

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Questionnaire - Evaluation of gait imagery

  Day 1

Study Arms (1)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

All individuals will be instructed to realize normal gait imagery (NGI) and gait on the line imagery (GLI) modalities in a single experimental session. The order of imagining these two gait modalities was randomized and both modalities consisted of these tasks: rest (non-imagery task), NGI/GLI before and after the real execution of normal gait/tandem gait on the line. The order of the tasks was not randomized. Individuals are also asked about the ease/difficulty of imagining both NGI/GLI before and after the real execution of gait tasks using a five-point scale. Each task is measured once for 30 s with respect to sustained attention and possible onset of fatigue.

Behavioral: gait imagery

Interventions

gait imagery BEHAVIORAL

The initial position, which is identical for all measured tasks, consisted of an upright bipedal stance in front of an unobtrusive white screen with feet at pelvic width, upper limbs held loosely along the body, eyes open and facing forward. During the rest task, non-motor imagery task, participants are instructed to sing the song "Happy Birthday" in their minds. NGI before the real execution of normal gait and GLI before the real execution of gait on the line are tasks associated with the imagery of normal gait or tandem gait on the line. Participants first observed a 5 m section of the corridor for NGI, or a line located in the middle of the same corridor for GLI. The last tasks, NGI after the real execution of normal gait and GLI after the real execution of gait on the line, differed from above mentioned tasks in the immediate real experience of normal gait or gait on the line.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Subacute stage (1 week - 2 months after the onset of the attack) after primary attack of stroke
• Ischemic origin of stroke
• Good cognitive level to understand the study
• Minimum age of 18 years
• Clinically manifested hemiparetic gait with ability to perform independent walking for at least five minutes
• Mild motor deficit with ability to maintain standing without any support
• Ability to walk independently without any manual assistance of another person (≥ 3/5 points according to the Functional Ambulation Categories)
• Good level (≥ 4/7 points) of kinesthetic and visual MI according to the Czech version of the MIQ-RS questionnaire

You may not qualify if:

• Present impairments in communication and cognition
• An additional neurological, internal, psychological or psychiatric disorder or severe musculoskeletal disorder that may affect the ambulation
• Previous experience with MI
• Pain during the measurement

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hana Haltmar: lead

Study Sites (2)

Palacky University

Olomouc, 77111, Czechia

Location

University Hospital Olomouc

Olomouc, 77900, Czechia

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Haltmar H., Janura M., Haltmar M., & Elfmark M. (2024).The effect of gait imagery and its more demanding variant on muscle activity in stroke survivors. Rehabilitace a fyzikální lékařství, 31(3), 116-125. doi: 10.48095/ccrhfl2024116.

  RESULT

Related Links

• This article describe how muscle activity of selected paretic and non-paretic lower limb muscles changes in subacute stroke survivors when imagining normal gait and its more challenging variant, gait on the line.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stroke

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Clinical Researcher

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 7, 2025
• First Posted: January 16, 2026
• Study Start: March 1, 2021
• Primary Completion: January 1, 2022
• Study Completion: March 1, 2022
• Last Updated: January 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-12

Locations

CZ (2)