Studying the Impairment of Stroke and Sarcopenia Patients Using Maximum Voluntary Contractions of the Leg Joints.

Studying the Impairment of Stroke and Sarcopenia Pa-tients Using Maximum Voluntary Contractions of the Leg Joints.

The goal of this study is to obtain the maximum voluntary torques of the lower-limb joints and to monitor oxygen level in the main lower-limb muscles. This will be done for three joints: i.e. the hip, knee and ankle joint and NIRS sensors will be placed on the biceps femoris, rectus femoris and gastrocnemius muscle. For the hip and knee, the maximum torque will be determined both in exertion direction and flexion direction. For the ankle, both plantarflexion and dorsiflexion will be considered. For each of these directions, the maximum joint torque will be defined for different specific joint angles and joint velocities (see procedure). For every joint and for the whole protocol for the torques measurement campaign, the different muscle of interest will be monitored with the NIRS, i.e. hip is associated with hamstring contraction, knee is associated with thigh contraction and ankle is associated with calf contraction. With these discrete points, an algorithm will be used to obtain a complete plot of the maximum torque in function of both joint angle and joint velocities. Comparing these plots between for example stroke and healthy individuals can help us understand what level of assistance stroke patients require. Comparison in oxygen level between healthy individuals and impairments population of stroke and sarcopenia patients can also help us investigate how oxygen is used depending on the population.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Stroke; Sarcopenia
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: MVC measurements of participants

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 42
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Belgium
  • Brussels, Belgium, 1050
    • Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Post stroke patients:

• Must be 18+ years old
• Must be three months or more after stroke diagnosis
• Have difficulties with gait (FAC level 3-4)

Sarcopenia patients:

• Must be 65+ years old
• Not be able to perform five chair sit to stands within 15 seconds
• Grip strength of less than 27 kg for men and less than 16 kg for females
• Have difficulties with gait (SPPB ≤ 8)

Healthy participants:

• No physical injuries that limits the torque production in lower-limb joints

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Measuring MVC's of participants

Other: MVC measurements of participants; The protocol will be performed for six exertion directions for both legs: Hip Extension (HE), Hip Flexion (HF), Knee Extension (KE), Knee Flexion (KF), Plantar Flexion (PF) and Dorsi Flexion (DF). The protocol will be similar for each of these directions. The protocol described below will be performed for each joint. Position of subject during testing: Ankle: hip flexed at 80° and knee flexed at 50° (in a seated position); Knee: hip flexed at 70° (in a seated position); Hip: done in a standing position. The knee slightly flexed with a knee immobilizer.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Obtaining maximum voluntary torques of the lower-limb joints for sarcopenia and stroke patients	The goal is to determine the maximum torque that each joint can produce in an isostatic case in the sagittal plane. Not only the amount of torque but also at which joint angle this manifests are important parameters that we would like to use for the design process of an exoskeleton. Furthermore, we'd like to obtain the change in maximum torque when transferring from an isostatic test to an isokinetic test. The higher the joint velocity, the more the torque will decrease. However, how much is this decrease? We expect that the decrease for increased joint velocities in the targeted populations will differ compared to healthy individuals	2 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Measuring muscle oxygenation	To determine the differences in oxygen delivery and consumption between healthy individuals, sarcopenia patients, and stroke patients. Studying these profiles will provide insights into how these impairments affect the muscle under investigation and how oxygenation dynamics behave throughout the experiment.	2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 11, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 11, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 6, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 6, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 11, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 6, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Neuromuscular Manifestations; Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Muscular Atrophy; Atrophy; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Stroke; Sarcopenia
• Other Study ID Numbers: BUN 1432024000256

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No