Effect of Using a Bionic Leg on Physiological and Biomechanical Measures in Stroke Patients

The 'Bionic Leg' (BL) \[Alter G, Fremont, CA, USA; approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2014\], is an externally-wearable, battery-operated robotic device that assists patients and therapists during rehabilitation by providing adjustable and progressive functional mobility training. A patient or therapist can programme the BL to provide motor assistance during sit-to-stand exercises, over-ground walking, and stair climbing, with either more or less robotic-assistance, as desired by the therapist. As the BL increases stability and actively engages the affected leg during functional tasks, it enables patients to undertake more repetitions of specific tasks than when not wearing a BL.

Participants will complete identical tasks as that undertaken with the Bionic Leg, but will complete the tasks without wearing the Bionic Leg.

Participants will take -part in a 30-minute training session whilst wearing the Bionic Leg. The training programme will ask participants to engage in a variety of walking, balance and stair exercises. The training programme will include a 15-minute rest period after completion of the 30 minutes of exercises. This will take 45 minutes in total.

45 minutes after the baseline assessment, immediately following the Training programme, the following tests (PCI, TUG, postural sway, 6-min walk, sit-to-stand) will be completed. These tests will be undertaken whilst not wearing the Bionic Leg. It is anticipated that this session will last approximately 2 hours.