The Weak Relationship Between Ankle Proprioception and Gait Speed After Stroke: A Robotic Assessment Study.
Christopher A Johnson, Piyashi Biswas, Rubi Tapia and 7 others
PMID 40956975WHAT IT FOUND
Ankle proprioception showed only a weak relationship with gait speed after stroke.
One measure of dynamic error correlated with walking distance, but most tests found no significant link. Motor impairment did not correlate with proprioceptive error.
Key findings
01The only significant correlation between ankle proprioception and gait was between dynamic joint position reproduction error and 6-minute walk test distance.
02Ankle proprioceptive error was not significantly related to lower extremity motor impairment measures such as range of motion, strength, or Fugl-Meyer score.
03Impaired ankle proprioception was present in approximately 75% to 90% of the stroke participants, depending on the specific test used.
STILL TO COME
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What it does not show
The sample size of 39 may have been insufficient to detect very weak correlations, particularly in participants who walk faster than 0.8 m/s. Proprioception was assessed in a seated, open-chain position, which does not replicate the closed-chain conditions of walking. The tests relied on conscious perception of limb position, potentially missing subconscious proprioceptive contributions to gait. The control group did not perform gait assessments, so it is unknown if the weak relationship seen in stroke patients differs from normative patterns. The 'unimpaired' limb used for comparison or active tracking in stroke patients may itself have subtle deficits, potentially confounding results.
Declared interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of strong correlation as evidence that ankle proprioception is irrelevant to gait. The study only measured conscious, seated proprioception; subconscious feedback and active walking conditions may reveal stronger links that this static assessment missed.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →