# From post-stroke assistance to rehabilitation:  Neuromuscular adaptations to walking with a soft robotic exosuit

> **NIH NIH F31** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · 2021 · $46,036

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Stroke affects approximately 800,000 people annually, resulting in hemiparesis and characteristically slow,
asymmetric walking. Our team has developed and extensively studied a novel soft-robotic exosuit that
improves paretic propulsion and walking speed by augmenting the function of the paretic limb during use.
These findings demonstrate the value of the soft robotic exosuit as an assistive device, but its rehabilitative
potential remains unclear.
 Recovery of walking speed is important for both clinicians and patients; however, improvements in
walking speed may be achieved via different rehabilitation processes, ranging from propulsion recovery (e.g.,
propulsion symmetry) to compensation (e.g., a reliance on nonparetic propulsion). Ground reaction force
analyses have been used to differentiate between propulsion recovery and compensation but lack specificity
in identifying impairments in the neuromuscular control of the lower limb muscles during walking and
improvements in control with rehabilitation. To determine the rehabilitative potential of REAL, we will
combine measures of neuromuscular control with conventional measures of locomotor propulsion and speed
to characterize its rehabilitation processes (i.e., recovery vs. compensation) and neuromuscular predictors.
 For this project, we will study the effects of repeated sessions of Robotic Exosuit Augmented
Locomotion (REAL) gait training, a standardized gait retraining protocol developed by our laboratory to
leverage the gait- restorative effects of soft robotic exosuits to retrain faster walking after stroke by way of
improved paretic propulsion. More specifically, 22 chronic (>6 months) post-stroke participants will
complete three sessions of REAL gait training. To characterize the rehabilitation potential of REAL (Aim 1)
and predictors of a REAL therapeutic response (Aim 2), at each visit we will conduct multi-modal
evaluations that combine standard biomechanical and clinical assessments (i.e., propulsion and speed)
with distinct measures of neuromuscular control known to be sensitive to post-stroke gait impairments. A
multi-modal evaluation approach that combines measures of neuromuscular control with standard clinical
and biomechanical evaluations provides the best opportunity to understand the link between post-stroke
walking impairment and recovery with REAL training.
 This research project complements my development plan by providing an opportunity to work with my
mentoring team to apply and enhance my skills in measuring, analyzing, and understanding neuromuscular
control post-stroke, ultimately preparing me to lead a translational research laboratory developing and
evaluating rehabilitation devices to improve walking ability in people with neurological disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10315806
- **Project number:** 1F31HD106777-01
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS)
- **Principal Investigator:** Ashley Collimore-Doherty
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $46,036
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-16 → 2023-08-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10315806

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10315806, From post-stroke assistance to rehabilitation:  Neuromuscular adaptations to walking with a soft robotic exosuit (1F31HD106777-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10315806. Licensed CC0.

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