What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to evaluate the impact of perturbation-based balance training with and without functional electrical stimulation on balance and coordination in stroke survivors.

April 25, 2026

Effects of perturbation-based gait training with and without functional electrical stimulation on reactive balance and neuromuscular coordination after stroke: a randomized controlled trial

Key Points

This research aims to evaluate the impact of perturbation-based balance training with and without functional electrical stimulation on balance and coordination in stroke survivors.
Randomized controlled trial with 35 ambulatory individuals post-stroke for 6 months or longer.
Participants were divided into groups receiving either perturbation-based balance training alone or with functional electrical stimulation.
Clinical performance and neuromuscular coordination were evaluated over time.
PBBT significantly improved mobility, gait coordination, and reactive balance stability.
No additional benefits from the inclusion of functional electrical stimulation were observed in group-level outcomes.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Falls during walking remain a major cause of disability after stroke. Perturbation-based balance training (PBBT) improves reactive stability, but its effects on gait-related neuromuscular coordination and the added value of functional electrical stimulation (FES) are not well established. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether PBBT, performed with or without task-synchronized FES, improves clinical performance, intermuscular coordination during gait, and reactive balance stability in individuals with chronic stroke. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, 35 ambulatory individuals ≥ 6 months post-stroke were allocated to PBBT alone ( RESULTS: Significant main effects of Time were observed across clinical outcomes ( CONCLUSIONS: PBBT improved mobility, gait neuromuscularcoordination, and reactive balance stability in persons with stroke. Theaddition of FES did not provide additional group-level benefit. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT06237972.

Bookmark

Cite This Study

Covarrubias-Escudero et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69ec59fc88ba6daa22dab986 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/10749357.2026.2664217

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

Bookmark