Effect of backward walking treadmill training on walking capacity after stroke: a randomized clinical trial

And your mentors and senior researchers incompetently didn't tell you that this research was already done?

Other research already out there: I bet your doctor and stroke hospital  are totally incompetent in not having this intervention already being used. My god, 13 and 14 years ago this research came out, bet your doctor doesn't even know about it.

Gait outcomes after additional backward walking training in patients with stroke: a randomized controlled trial - May 2005

Effectiveness of backward walking treadmill training in lower extremity function after stroke - Oct. 2006

“A Backward Walking Training Program to Improve Balance and Mobility in Acute Stroke: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial” Oct. 2017 

Walking backwards boosts creativity April 2015

The latest here:

Effect of backward walking treadmill training on walking capacity after stroke: a randomized clinical trial

Stella Maris Michaelsen1*, Angélica Cristiane Ovando2, Fernanda Romaguera1, and Louise Ada3
Rationale 
Residual walking deficits are common in people after stroke. Treadmill training can increase walking speed and walking distance. A new way to increase the challenge of walking is to walk backwards. Backward treadmill walking may provide advantages by promoting improvement in balance, walking spatiotemporal parameters and quality that may reflect in improving walking distance. 
Aim 
This study will test the hypothesis that backward treadmill walking is superior to forward treadmill walking in improving walking capacity, walking parameters, quality and balance in people with stroke. 
Design 
A prospective, single-blinded, randomized trial will randomly allocate 88 community-dwelling people after stroke into either an experimental or control group. The experimental group will undertake 30-min sessions of backward treadmill walking, three-days/week for six-weeks, while the control group will undertake the same dose of forward treadmill walking. Training will begin at the baseline overground walking speed and will increase each week by 10% of baseline speed. Study outcomes The primary outcome will be distance walked in the 6-min Walk Test. Secondary outcomes will be walking speed, step length, cadence, and one-leg stance time. Outcomes will be collected by a researcher blinded to group allocation at baseline (Week 0), at the end of training period (Week 6), and three-months after the cessation of intervention (Week 18). 
Discussion 
If backward treadmill walking can improve walking capacity more than forward treadmill training in stroke, it may have broader implications because walking capacity has been shown to predict physical activity level and community participation.