Haptic interaction with a human partner for ankle training in chronic stroke: a pilot study

Our results suggest that human interaction is a viable strategy for training ankle movements in chronic stroke participants, likely by providing assistance without over-constraining an individual's movement smoothness or variability. Training while physically interacting with a partner could serve as an effective alternative to conventional robot-guided therapy for post-stroke ankle rehabilitation, though further studies with larger cohorts are needed to assess the generalization of this approach regarding long-term retention and functional improvement. Registry: clinicaltrials.gov, TRN: NCT04578665, Registration date: 8 October 2020.