Fast Muscle Activation and Stepping Training (FAST) Post-stroke (FAST)

April 27, 2026 updated by: Jayne Garland, University of British Columbia

Effectiveness of Fast Muscle Activation and Stepping Training (FAST) on Balance and Mobility Post-stroke

The purpose of this study is to determine whether FAST (Fast muscle Activation and Stepping Training) exercises will improve walking balance in individuals after stroke to a greater extent than usual care.

Hypothesis: The primary hypothesis is that improvements in walking balance will be larger following 12 sessions of FAST exercise retraining compared to usual care in persons in the sub-acute phase after stroke.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

It is estimated that 75-80% of individuals who have had a stroke will survive the acute event and be left with residual disability. Regaining independence in standing and walking is of utmost importance for patients recovering from stroke. Walking balance requires muscles in the legs and trunk to contract quickly if people lose their balance. Physical therapy plays a key role in the rehabilitation of walking balance in individuals after stroke. Given that maintaining one's balance requires fast muscle activity, rehabilitation post-stroke should focus on speed of movement. Thus we are proposing to compare a program that emphasizes speed of movement, Fast muscle Activation and Stepping Training versus an active control (usual care).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
55

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • British Columbia
      • North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V7L 2L7
        • Lions Gate Hospital
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5P 3L6
        • Holy Family Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Study population: Subjects with a diagnosis of stroke

Inclusion Criteria:

  • first stroke (<6 months ago)
  • presence of hemiparesis in the lower extremity
  • minimum Berg Balance Score (BBS) of 30/56
  • cognitive ability to give informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • bilateral stroke, or a previous stroke in the other hemisphere
  • severe co-morbidity that is likely to dominate the pattern of care
  • co-existing peripheral neuropathies or disorders of the vestibular apparatus
  • musculoskeletal problems
  • global aphasia or receptive aphasia

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Usual care
The usual care will consist of strength training, endurance, range of motion, patient education, weight shifting in standing and gait re-training.
Behavioral: Usual Care
The Usual Care program will consist of 2 sessions a week for 45 minutes for a 6 week duration.
Experimental: FAST protocol
The Fast muscle activation and stepping training will be the Experimental arm of this trial. This program will be exercises emphasizing speed of movement.
Behavioral: FAST protocol
The Fast muscle activation and Stepping Training (FAST protocol) will be exercises emphasizing speed, small squats and protective steps, that will be progressed. This program will be 2 sessions a week for 45 minutes for 6 weeks in duration.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Community Balance and Mobility Scale
Time Frame: Pre treatment and Post treatment (6 weeks)
Pre treatment and Post treatment (6 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Gait assessment
Time Frame: Pre treatment, Post treatment (6 weeks) and Retention (+1 month after treatment)
Self selected speed and changes in electromyography
Pre treatment, Post treatment (6 weeks) and Retention (+1 month after treatment)
Physiological balance assessment by internal and external perturbations
Time Frame: Pre treatment, Post treatment (6 weeks) and Retention (+1 month after treatment)
Electromyography and Center of pressure changes
Pre treatment, Post treatment (6 weeks) and Retention (+1 month after treatment)
Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale
Time Frame: Pre treatment, Post treatment (6 weeks) and Retention (+1 month after treatment)
Pre treatment, Post treatment (6 weeks) and Retention (+1 month after treatment)
Community Balance and Mobility Scale
Time Frame: Post treatment and Retention (+1 month after treatment)
Post treatment and Retention (+1 month after treatment)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of British Columbia

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: S. Jayne Garland, PT, PhD, University of British Columbia

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 31, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 30, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 5, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 5, 2012

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 9, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 27, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • H12-00837

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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