Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Impaired H-Reflex Adaptations Following Slope Walking In Individuals With Post-Stroke Hemiparesis, Jing Nong Liang, Yun Ju Lee, Eric Akoopie, Brooke Conway Kleven, Trisha Koch, Kai-Yu Ho

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose: Short term adaptations in the Ia afferent-motoneuron pathway, as measured using the H-reflex, in response to altered ground reaction forces (GRFs) applied at the feet during slope walking have been observed in the non-impaired nervous system. The ability of the stroke-impaired nervous system to adapt to altered GRFs have not been examined. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of altered propulsive and braking forces applied at the feet, which naturally occurs when walking on different slopes, on adaptations of the H-reflex pathway in individuals with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis.