Assisted leg displacements and progressive loading by a tilt table combined with FES promote gait recovery in acute stroke.

Objective: Here we developed and tested a novel system for early motor rehabilitation in acute stroke when patients are unable to stand and walk without assistance. Stepping performance may be largely facilitated by providing treatment in the supine position on a tilt table using step-synchronized functional electrical stimulation (FES) with assisted leg movements and progressive limb loading.

Methods: Sixty-one individuals with acute stroke were randomly assigned to two groups, experimental and control.