Stroke victims often experience muscle weakness or partial paralysis on one side of their body, impacting the way they walk. USF’s Kyle Reed has engineered a therapeutic shoe called the iStride device to improve stroke recovery. Reed collaborated on the device with Seok Hun Kim of the USF College of Medicine.
The device generates a backward motion in the patient’s good leg, which exaggerates the existing step. That uncomfortable movement strengthens their stroke-impacted leg, leading to a more symmetrical gait after shoe removal. “Unlike many of the existing gait rehabilitation devices, this device is passive, portable, wearable and does not require any external energy,” says Reed.
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