Clinical study of isokinetic training with joint control tasks on lower limb function in stroke patients with...

To investigate the effects of isokinetic training with joint control tasks on lower limb proprioceptive and motor function in stroke patients with proprioceptive impairment.

A randomized controlled trial design was adopted. Stroke patients with proprioceptive dysfunction who were admitted to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, between April 2025 and November 2025 were prospectively and consecutively enrolled. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group using a random number table. Both groups received conventional rehabilitation for 4 weeks, while the experimental group additionally underwent isokinetic training with joint control tasks during the same intervention period. General demographic and clinical data were collected. Before and after intervention, proprioception, motor function, and activities of daily living (ADL) were assessed.

Based on the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 58 eligible patients were finally enrolled and randomly allocated into two groups (29 patients per group). Within-group comparisons showed that both groups exhibited significant post-intervention improvements in proprioceptive function, motor function, and activities of daily living (ADL) (all P < 0.05). In the control group, the Modified Nottingham Sensory Assessment (NSA), Joint Position Reproduction (JPR) tests at 30°, 45°, and 60°, Threshold to Detect Passive Motion (TTDPM), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment for the lower extremity (FMA-LE), and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) scores all improved significantly compared with baseline (P < 0.05). Similarly, in the experimental group, all aforementioned indicators demonstrated significant improvements after intervention (P < 0.05). Between-group comparisons revealed that improvements in proprioceptive, motor, and ADL functions were significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group. Specifically, the changes in NSA, JPR (30°, 45°, 60°), and TTDPM scores were significantly higher in the experimental group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the experimental group exhibited larger gains in BBS and FMA-LE scores (P < 0.05), as well as greater improvements in MBI scores (P < 0.05).

Isokinetic joint control training combined with conventional rehabilitation was associated with improvements in proprioceptive function, lower-limb motor performance, and activities of daily living in stroke patients with proprioceptive impairment. These findings suggest that this approach may serve as a useful adjunct to stroke rehabilitation; however, further studies with more rigorous designs are required to confirm these results.