An interventional study of Reactive balance training in Stroke, sponsored by Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Completed at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 130 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-29.
Sponsored by Toronto Rehabilitation Institute · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Falls in daily life are one of the most significant complications for people with stroke. Fall rates are particularly high soon after discharge from stroke rehabilitation. A new type of balance training, called reactive balance training (RBT), can reduce fall rates after discharge from stroke rehabilitation. In our previous study, RBT was implemented as part of routine care, and as a result, the dose of training was different for each participant; participants completed between one and twelve 30-minute sessions of RBT. Previous research in healthy older adults suggests that a single session of RBT is enough to lead to lasting changes in reactive balance control and reduce fall rates in daily life. It is not clear if the same is true for people with stroke, who have more severe impairments and might need a higher dose of training to achieve the same benefits.
The overall goal of this work is to determine the optimal dose of reactive balance training for people with stroke who are attending rehabilitation. This pilot study will determine the feasibility of a clinical trial to address this larger goal. People with sub-acute stroke will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1 session, 3 sessions, or 6 sessions of RBT. Each session will be 45 minutes long, and will occur as part of participants' routine out-patient rehabilitation. We will use our experiences with this pilot study to help design a larger study. Specifically, we will use this pilot study to answer the following questions: 1) what is the optimal sample size; 2) how long will it take to reach this sample size; 3) what outcome measures should be used; 4) how feasible is it to prescribe a specific dose of RBT to people with sub-acute stroke; and 5) what two intervention groups should be included in the larger trial?
7,286 studies on the registry are indexed under Stroke; 2,007 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 36 is below the median of 50 across 5,369 interventional studies indexed under Stroke.
Browse Stroke studies →Toronto Rehabilitation Institute is the lead sponsor of 39 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Participants will complete one 45-minute session of reactive balance training. Participants will experience 40-60 perturbations during this session. Participants will also complete 5 45-minute 'traditional' balance training sessions.
Other: Reactive balance training
Participants will complete three 45-minute sessions of reactive balance training. Participants will experience 40-60 perturbations during each session. Participants will also complete 3 45-minute 'traditional' balance training sessions.
Other: Reactive balance training
Participants will complete six 45-minute sessions of reactive balance training. Participants will experience 40-60 perturbations during each session.
Other: Reactive balance training
A research physiotherapist will oversee reactive balance training (RBT) to ensure consistent RBT delivery across participants. Training strategies will be individualized to each participant, based on their balance impairments and rehabilitation goals. The RBT program includes multi-directional 'internal' and 'external' balance perturbations. Internal perturbations are achieved by asking the participant to complete tasks that challenge balance control, such that they lose balance when attempting to perform the task (e.g., kicking a soccer ball). External perturbation are delivered manually using a push or pull from the physiotherapist. As participants improve their reactive balance control, difficulty will be increased by shifting task requirements along a continuum from stable to mobile, and from predictable to unpredictable, and by increasing perturbation magnitude or imposing sensory or environmental challenges.
Rate of falls in daily life
Participants will be asked to report falls ("an event that results in a person coming to rest unintentionally on the ground or other lower level") in the 6 months post-training. Participants will be provided with stamped, addressed postcards to mail to the research team every 2 weeks for 6 months post-training. Postcards will contain a calendar, on which participants will record falls. The research assistant will call participants who do not return the postcard to determine if any falls occurred. The research assistant will contact participants reporting a fall to complete a short questionnaire determining the cause and consequences of the fall.
Time frame: 6 months post-discharge
Rate of accrual
Number of participants recruited per month
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 18 months
Rate of missing data
Number of complete datasets for each of the other pre-specified outcomes
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 18 months
Compliance with the intervention
Number of prescribed training sessions attended
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 18 months
Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment
Construct: motor recovery. Range: 1-7. Higher scores indicate improved recovery.
Time frame: Pre-intervention (at admission), post-intervention (before discharge, approximately 4 weeks), and 6 months post-intervention
Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test
Construct: Anticipatory balance control, reactive balance control, gait, and sensory orientation in balance. Scale range: 0-28 (total), 0-6 (anticipatory balance control), 0-6 (reactive balance control), 0-10 (gait), 0-6 (sensory orientation). Higher values represent improved outcome. The total score is created by adding the sub-scale scores
Time frame: Pre-intervention (at admission), post-intervention (before discharge, approximately 4 weeks), and 6 months post-intervention
Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale
Construct: balance confidence. Scale range: 0-100. Higher values represent improved outcome
Time frame: Pre-intervention (at admission), post-intervention (before discharge, approximately 4 weeks), and 6 months post-intervention
Reactive balance control following novel unpredictable postural perturbation
Participants will be outfitted with reflective markers, and will complete 8-10 walking trials on a movable platform. On one trial, the platform will move forward suddenly on heel strike to trigger a slip-like perturbation. On another trial, the platform will move backward suddenly on toe-off to trigger a trip-like perturbation. The platform will only move during these two trials, such that the perturbation will be unpredictable to participants. These perturbations differ from what will be used during training, and will measure transfer of training to novel and ecological loss of balance. Biomechanical stability when responding to the perturbation will be measured using an established method that considers the distance between the centre of mass and base of support; in general, a more posteriorly- (slip) or anteriorly-located (trip) centre of mass is considered less stable.
Time frame: Pre-intervention (at admission), post-intervention (before discharge, approximately 4 weeks), and 6 months post-intervention
Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities
Construct: physical activity in daily life. Scale range: not applicable (the maximum score that is technically achievable would not be feasible). Higher scores represent improved outcome
Time frame: Average of three scores at approximately 2-, 4- and 6-months post-discharge
Subjective Index of Physical and Social Outcome
Construct: participation Scale range: 0-40 (total); 0-20 (social sub-scale), 0-20 (physical sub-scale). Higher scores represent improved outcome. The total score is the sum of the sub-scale scores
Time frame: Average of three scores at approximately 2-, 4- and 6-months post-discharge
Plan to share: Undecided
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Toronto Rehabilitation Institute