CURRENT RESEARCH
Main Projects
 Locomotor Adaptations Following Stroke. K01 HD050582-01A1.
- Funding Source: National Institutes of Health
- Principal Investigator: Darcy Reisman
- Primary Mentor: Amy Bastian
- Secondary Mentor: Lynn Snyder-Mackler
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Click image for video. |
Of the 700,000 persons affected by stroke each year, 50% will continue to demonstrate long term walking dysfunction, some caused by poor coordination between the legs. This research investigates the potential of a novel type of treadmill walking to influence coordination between the legs in persons who have sustained a stroke. The goal of the present research is to understand the capacity of persons with post-stroke hemiparesis to adapt locomotor interlimb coordination and the influence of this on gait symmetry. The long-term research goal is to develop scientifically-based therapies to advance the physical rehabilitation and recovery of locomotion in persons following a stroke. The current research tests the general hypothesis that persons with post-stroke hemiparesis are able to adapt their locomotor patterns following walking on a split-belt treadmill, where each leg is moved at a different speed. |
It is hypothesized that the adapted pattern of interlimb coordination following split-belt treadmill locomotion may be used to improve gait symmetry and function in persons post-stroke. Specific aims will test: 1) the capacity of persons with post-stroke hemiparesis to adapt interlimb coordination, 2) the generalization of adapted patterns to overground locomotion and, 3) the feasibility of using split-belt treadmill training to improve gait symmetry in persons post-stroke. Click here for video.
Relationship Between Speed and Walking Function Post-Stroke.
- Funding Source: American Heart Association
- Principal Investigator: Darcy Reisman
- Co-Investigators: Katherine Rudolph, William Farquhar
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An understanding of the relationship between walking speed, walking patterns and energy costs is critical to the development of optimal walking interventions for people with hemiparesis after a stroke. The long term goal of this research is to develop speed dependent treadmill training programs that improve walking speed, symmetry and ultimately community participation in people with hemiparesis after stroke. Asymmetry and slow walking speed are hallmarks of gait dysfunction in people with hemiparesis. Walking speed is important because it predicts community participation in these persons.Changes in walking patterns are dependent upon the level of impairment of the subject and the speed at which subjects are asked to walk. Understanding how the level of impairment and speed interact to differentially affect walking patterns will likely lead to the development of a dose-response curve that is specific to the level of impairment so that training programs will be enhanced. Walking speed not only affects walking patterns, but also energy expenditure. It is well known that in healthy young and older adults aerobic demand is lowest at the self-selected speed and it increases at faster and slower speeds. |
Although slow walking speed is one of the most consistent gait impairments observed following stroke, remarkably few studies have investigated the aerobic demand of walking in subjects with hemiparesis. It is unclear if the self-selected speed at which people with hemiparesis walk represents the speed of lowest energy cost. An understanding of the relationship between walking speed and energy expenditure in persons post-stroke is critical for determining the optimal training speeds to be used in treadmill training interventions. This project involves the systematic manipulation of walking speed in persons with hemipareis with varying levels of walking impairment to determine the effect of speed on walking patterns and energy expenditure.
THE LAB
People in the Lab
Director- Dr. Darcy Reisman
Doctoral Students:
- Christine Malecka
Clinical Doctoral Students:
- Amy Novotny
- Heather Takeguchi
Undergraduate Researcher:
- Jen Breithaupt
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Top row : Heather Takeguchi, Dr. Darcy Reisman
Bottom row: Amy Novotny, Jen Breithaupt, Christine Malecka |
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Equipment used in the Lab:
- 8 camera (60/120Hz) Vicon Motion capture system
- AMTI instrumented split-belt treadmill
- 16 channel Motion Lab System EMG system
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Contact Information for the Lab:
University of Delaware
Department of Physical Therapy
060 McKinly Lab
Newark, DE 19716-2591
Phone: 302-831-8675
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Directions to the Lab:
From I-95 take Exit 1 North onto Route 896 North. Continue on 896 to Delaware Ave. Turn Right on Delaware Ave. McKinly Lab is the third building on the right. The Instrumented Treadmill Lab is on the third floor, room 331.
Parking is available in an hourly pay lot located on the left of Delaware Ave., directly across from McKinly Lab. |
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