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StrokeMCOACTNCT07504627

How Stroke Affects Leg Muscles When Walking

An observational study of Stroke and Physical Inactivity, run by University Hospital, Limoges at 1 site in France.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Stroke is the leading cause of acquired disability in France and the third leading cause worldwide. This research will : Test how reliable current medical methods are for measuring muscle activity. Improve understanding of how leg muscles work in people after a stroke. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Stroke, Physical Inactivity, Spasticity, Muscle
How many people
500 participants
Where
1 siteFrance
Study dates
19 Aug 2025to 19 Aug 2025
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Individual diagnosed with stroke who underwent an instrumented gait analysis with muscle activation measurements

  • Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of stroke ;
  • Patients who have undergone an instrumented gait analysis, including measurements of muscle activation (e.g., electromyography).

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

France1 site

  • Chu de Limoges

    Limoges, 87000

Other trials in France

About this study

Official title: Analysis of Muscle Activation in the Lower Limbs During Walking in Individuals With Stroke Sequelae

Stroke is the leading cause of acquired disability in France and the third leading cause worldwide.

This research will :

  • Test how reliable current medical methods are for measuring muscle activity.
  • Improve understanding of how leg muscles work in people after a stroke.
  • Identify early signs that predict good or poor recovery of walking ability.
  • Shed light on the mechanisms that support walking recovery after a stroke.

In the long run, these results will help improve rehabilitation programs, make care more personalized, and support patients in regaining independence.

Read the detailed description

Stroke is the leading cause of acquired disability in France and the third leading cause worldwide. The number of new cases will continue to rise in the coming years, reaching 23 million worldwide by 2030 (Boursin et al., 2018; GBD 2019 Stroke Collaborators, 2021). Following a stroke, nearly 9 out of 10 people experience impaired motor function and 65% of individuals experience impaired walking activity. The loss or impairment of walking is a significant factor in limiting social participation and quality of life (Daviet et al., 2022; Lord et al., 2004; Mayo et al., 2002).

Muscle activation abnormalities are common after a stroke, particularly muscle coactivation (MCo) abnormalities, defined as the simultaneous activity of an agonist muscle and an antagonist muscle around the same joint. MCo is used to assess agonist/antagonist muscle synergy (Rosa et al., 2014). This parameter measures the ability of the agonist/antagonist pair to stabilize support during walking, as well as the ability to relax muscles to clear the step during the swing phase (Busse et al., 2005; Falconer \& Winter, 1985; Latash, 2018). In the literature, two measures of MCo are mainly used with surface electromyography (sEMG): a temporal measure, called coactivation duration (CoD), defined as the duration during which the agonist/antagonist muscle pair is active simultaneously, and an intensity measure, called coactivation index (CoI), defined as the ratio of the antagonist muscle activation amplitude to the agonist muscle activation amplitude or the agonist/antagonist pair (Rosa et al., 2014). The literature has highlighted abnormal levels of MCo in post-stroke individuals compared to healthy subjects, both at the ankle and knee, but also regardless of the phase of the gait cycle (Kitatani et al., 2016; Rosa et al., 2014). Current research reports that abnormal levels of MCo (CoD or CoI) appear to be associated with a deterioration in walking speed, a determining factor in walking ability and mobility in society (Chow et al., 2012; Kitatani et al., 2016; Rinaldi et al., 2017). These findings reinforce the importance of measuring MCo in routine practice. These findings reinforce the importance of measuring MCo in clinical practice. However, the literature reports wide variability in MCo values, even among participants with similar profiles in terms of motor impairment and walking ability (Banks et al., 2017; Mizuta et al., 2024). For example, in the study by Lamontagne et al. (2000), post-stroke individuals had low MCo values for a moderate level of impairment, while Kitatani et al. reported high MCo values for a post-stroke population with the same level of motor impairment. However, these compared groups show significant variability in parameters, both in terms of population characteristics and MCo methodological assessment parameters, thus requiring individual rather than collective analysis. It is important to identify anomalies in muscle activation, particularly MCo, in order to improve our understanding of the mechanisms involved in gait recovery. A better understanding will enable the development of more effective interventions for individuals with stroke sequelae.

Keywords
Stroke, Physical Inactivity, Spasticity, Muscle, Walking, Difficulty
Medical subject headings
Stroke, Sedentary Behavior, Muscle Spasticity, Mobility Limitation

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Identification of specific muscle activation patterns during walking in individuals with stroke

    Difference in temporal and amplitude indices of muscle activation depending on the severity of post-stroke sequelae

    Measured: Day 1

Secondary outcomes (2)

  1. Identification of factors associated with good and poor prognoses for walking recovery after stroke

    Correlation between muscle activation characteristics and the volume of movement at homeafter stroke

    Measured: Day 1

  2. Description of the metrological qualities of methods for measuring muscle activation as practiced in routine care

    CV between repeated measurements, mean differences between repeated measurements, MDC, ICChomepracticed in routine care

    Measured: Day 1

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted1 Apr 2026
  2. Study start19 Aug 2025
  3. Primary completion19 Aug 2025
  4. Study completion19 Aug 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Retrospective
Enrolment
500 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07504627
Sponsor's protocol ID
87RI25-0051_MCOACT
Acronym
MCOACT
Status last verified
Aug 2025
First submitted
25 Mar 2026
Last updated
1 Apr 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Chow JW, Yablon SA, Stokic DS. Coactivation of ankle muscles during stance phase of gait in patients with lower limb hypertonia after acquired brain injury. Clin Neurophysiol. 2012 Aug;123(8):1599-605. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2012.01.006. Epub 2012 Feb 9.

    PubMed 22325644

  • Collin C, Wade D. Assessing motor impairment after stroke: a pilot reliability study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1990 Jul;53(7):576-9. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.53.7.576.

    PubMed 2391521

  • Compagnat M, Daviet JC, Batcho C, Vuillerme N, Salle JY, David R, Mandigout S. Oxygen Cost During Walking in Individuals With Stroke: Hemiparesis Versus Cerebellar Ataxia. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2020 Apr;34(4):289-298. doi: 10.1177/1545968320907076. Epub 2020 Feb 24.

    PubMed 32089099

  • Daviet, J. C., Compagnat, M., Bernikier, D., Salle, J.-Y. . Réadaptation après accident vasculaire cérébral : Retour et maintien à domicile, vie quotidienne. Bulletin de l'Académie Nationale de Médecine. 2022; 206(5), 616-622.

  • Demeurisse G, Demol O, Robaye E. Motor evaluation in vascular hemiplegia. Eur Neurol. 1980;19(6):382-9. doi: 10.1159/000115178.

    PubMed 7439211

  • Den Otter AR, Geurts AC, Mulder T, Duysens J. Gait recovery is not associated with changes in the temporal patterning of muscle activity during treadmill walking in patients with post-stroke hemiparesis. Clin Neurophysiol. 2006 Jan;117(1):4-15. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2005.08.014. Epub 2005 Dec 5.

    PubMed 16337186

  • Detrembleur C, Dierick F, Stoquart G, Chantraine F, Lejeune T. Energy cost, mechanical work, and efficiency of hemiparetic walking. Gait Posture. 2003 Oct;18(2):47-55. doi: 10.1016/s0966-6362(02)00193-5.

    PubMed 14654207

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Stroke and Physical Inactivity, run by University Hospital, Limoges at 1 site in France.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in France. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Identification of specific muscle activation patterns during walking in individuals with stroke (time frame: Day 1). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07504627, which also lists 7 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Apr 2026.

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How Stroke Affects Leg Muscles When Walking | AzTrials