Baseline predictors of treatment gains in peak propulsive force in individuals poststroke

Another wasted research effort. Because we have NO stroke leadership or strategy, we get useless things like predictions rather than solutions to problems in stroke.   Who gives a shit about propulsive force? Come up with a solution to generate more if needed.
http://jneuroengrehab.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12984-016-0113-1

• HaoYuan HsiaoEmail author,
• Jill S. Higginson and
• Stuart A. Binder-Macleod

Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation201613:2

DOI: 10.1186/s12984-016-0113-1

©  Hsiao et al. 2016

Received: 16 September 2015

Accepted: 10 January 2016

Published: 15 January 2016

Abstract

Background

Current rehabilitation for individuals poststroke focuses on increasing walking speed because it is an indicator of community walking ability and quality of life. Propulsive force generated from the paretic limb is critical to walking speed and may reflect actual neural recovery that restores the affected neural systems. A wide variation across individuals in the improvements in paretic propulsive force was observed following an intervention that targeted paretic propulsive force. This study aimed to determine if specific baseline characteristics can be used to predict patients who would respond to the intervention.

Methods

Participants (N  = 19) with chronic poststroke hemiparesis walked at their self-selected and maximal walking speeds on a treadmill before and after a 12-week gait training program. Propulsive forces from the paretic limb were analyzed. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationships between (1) treatment gains in walking speed and propulsive force following intervention, and (2) treatment gains in propulsive force and baseline propulsive forces.

Results

Treatment gains in self-selected walking speed were correlated to treatment gains in paretic propulsive force following intervention. In addition, changes in paretic propulsive force between self-selected and maximal walking speeds at baseline were strongly correlated to treatment gains in paretic propulsive force.

Conclusions

The capacity to modulate paretic propulsive force, rather than the absolute propulsive force during self-selected or maximal walking speed, predicted treatment gains in propulsive force following the intervention. Findings from this research could help to inform clinicians and researchers to target the appropriate patient population for rehabilitation interventions.(What a weasaly statement.)