Virtual Reality for Post-Stroke Gait Rehabilitation

McGill University

Status

Not yet enrolling

Conditions

Stroke

Treatments

Other: Virtual Reality Training

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT07201974

MP-50-2026-2380

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to: (1) implement and test the feasibility of a new VR-ODT intervention offered as part of usual therapy time of patients with a sub-acute stoke; (2) explore the acceptability of the intervention from the perspective of clinicians and patients and; (3) implement measures to optimize the uptake and sustainability of the intervention within the clinical setting.

Participants will engage in a personalized VR-ODT training for 4 weeks (2X 1hr/week) targeting six well-established community walking demands related to (1) walking speed and (2) distance; (3) postural transitions; (4) obstacle avoidance; (5) dual-task walking and; (6) a combination of demands 1-5. For each demand, patients will progress through levels of increasing difficulty according to personalized goals and success criteria.

Full description

The project involves the VR-ODT set-up and intervention aimed at improving community walking in stroke survivors, to be implemented and tested within the clinical setting. The set-up comprises of a VR headset (HTC Vive) and an ODT (Infinadeck- to our knowledge the only one in Canada) allowing users to walk at self-selected speed in any direction (360 degrees) in a virtual environment representing a shopping mall in Montreal and nearby streets. Stroke individuals with an altered walking capacity (speed: 0.3 - 0.95m/s) will be recruited from the JRH in- and outpatient programs for 12 consecutive months.

Feasibility (Obj. 1) will be examined using the following measures collated post intervention: number of eligible vs. referred patients and treating clinicians involved; patient and clinician characteristics; adherence to the intervention and adverse events. Perceived mental and physical demands (NASA Tax Load Index), sense of presence (Single- Item Presence Questionnaire) and cybersickness (Simulator Sickness Questionnaire) will also be assessed. Acceptability (Obj. 2) patients and clinicians will be assessed using a Technology Acceptance Model Questionnaire that includes questions related to perceived ease of use and usefulness, as well as with open-ended questions. To optimize uptake and sustainability (Obj. 3), two clinicians (1 occupationnel therapist & 1 physiotherapist) from the JRH stroke program will be trained as clinician-champions (CC) on using the VR-ODT intervention and supporting other clinicians with intervention delivery. The CC, in collaboration with the team, will generate instructional materials (written and video) that detail the intervention, targeted users and step-by-step procedures for clinical use. The CC will also be involved in demonstrations (X2) on the use of the intervention for clinicians. They will be the resource for any question or required assistance with the VR-ODT set-up & intervention.

Enrollment

40 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

40 to 74 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

People with chronic stroke and persistent deficits in walking / visual-perceptual / cognitive capacities. They can be male or female, aged from 40 to 74 years, with normal/corrected visual and auditory acuity, and present with:

First-ever supratentorial unilateral stroke 9-24 months ago (such chronicity will ensure steady-state mobility without long-term disuse-related changes
Mild-to-moderate hemiparesis (Chedoke McMaster Stoke Assessment stages 4/7-6/7 on postural control, leg & foot)
Ability to walk independently with/without walking aids for at least 1 min at 0.3-0.95 m/s (such a speed range indicates mobility not sufficient for functional community ambulation: shopping ~1.1m/s, street crossing ~1.2 m/s)
Intact or mildly affected cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores ≥ 22/30)
Intact to moderately affected visual-perceptual function (positive scores on a maximum of 3/6 tasks on the Behavioural Inattention Test)

Exclusion criteria