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Recovery through propulsion

Functional recovery is the goal.Restoring propulsion is how we get there.

Recovery means walking farther, adapting to changing situations, and taking part in daily life with greater confidence and independence. After stroke, that may require rebuilding—not only working around—the affected leg's ability to push the body forward.

See why propulsion matters See how reNeu delivers it
Adults striding confidently outdoors Walking recovery in everyday life

What recovery means

Help people walk better now—and build lasting capacity.

The reNeu protocol and technology platform combines advanced sensing to understand each patient's baseline abilities with assistance that can improve walking immediately and rehabilitation that builds what a person can do over time.

The mechanism: gait propulsion

Propulsion is the forward force that moves the body
into the next step.

Open-access review Learn more about the science of propulsion

Gait propulsion is the anterior component of the ground-reaction force produced during late stance. It reflects coordinated neural activation, muscle force, limb position, and timing.

After stroke, the affected (paretic) leg often contributes less of this force. Lower paretic propulsion is associated with slower walking and lower endurance. For people with a propulsion deficit, rebuilding forward force is an important part of functional recovery.

reNeu measures propulsion together with neural, muscle, movement, and functional data to determine what limits it in each person and guide treatment.

Published post-stroke evidence AP–GRF: anterior–posterior ground-reaction force
16% In the most impaired subgroup, the paretic leg generated 16% of total propulsion, compared with 49% in the least impaired subgroup. Bowden et al., 2006 ↗
61.5% Paretic propulsion and trailing-limb angle together explained 61.5% of differences in six-minute walk distance. Awad et al., 2015 ↗
r = 0.44 Improvements in peak paretic propulsion were associated with improvements in six-minute walk distance after training. Awad et al., 2015 ↗

Cross-sectional associations from chronic post-stroke cohorts (n=43 and n=47); the longitudinal analysis included 29 participants. These values are not diagnostic cutoffs and do not predict individual outcomes.

Propulsive impulse

The area under the anterior-force curve in late stance. It represents the total forward impulse produced over that part of the step.

Swipe to view the full trace
Anterior-posterior ground reaction force during stance A representative schematic trace begins below zero during braking, crosses zero during stance, and rises above zero during propulsion before toe-off. The positive shaded area represents propulsive impulse. 0 stance toe-off Anterior Posterior BRAKING PROPULSION Braking-to-propulsion transition

BrakingPosterior force slows the body early in stance.

PropulsionAnterior force accelerates the body forward in late stance.

Representative schematic; waveform timing and magnitude vary across people and walking conditions.

A primer on walking

Every step depends on three coordinated subtasks.

Stroke can disrupt one or several of these jobs. Understanding which subtask is limited helps explain why walking is difficult and where treatment should focus.

01 / STANCE

Bodyweight support

Keep the body upright and stable over the leg without the hip, knee, or ankle collapsing.

02 / LATE STANCE

Propulsion

Generate and direct force backward into the ground to move the body forward into the next step.

03 / SWING

Ground clearance

Shorten and advance the leg so the foot clears the ground and is positioned safely for the next contact.

What produces propulsion

Measure the force. Find what limits it.

NEURAL

Is motor drive timed and coordinated?

Measure whether the nervous system activates the right muscles at the right point in the step.

MUSCULAR

Can the muscles produce and repeat the force?

Assess plantarflexor capacity, recruitment, and fatigue during repeated walking.

BIOMECHANICAL

Is the leg positioned to direct force forward?

Evaluate trailing-limb angle, step timing, and whole-body mechanics that shape propulsion.

How reNeu uses the science

Measure. Target. Advance.

The same approach guides focused treatment in the clinic and future autonomous support in daily life.

01

Measure what limits forward push

Combine propulsion with neural, muscle, movement, and functional measures.

02

Choose the right target

Focus rehabilitation and technology on the factors that can change.

03

Build real-world walking

Increase challenge across meaningful tasks and track the person's own walking capacity.

Two ways to deliver the same recovery strategy

Focused clinical care and recovery support in daily life.

CLINICIAN-DELIVERED

reNeu Clinic

The Clinic model combines detailed gait assessment with rehabilitation built around the person and the factors that can change.

Explore reNeu Clinic
AUTONOMOUS WEARABLE · UNDER DEVELOPMENT

reNeu Bionics

A wearable system under development to measure movement and physiology, adapt assistance, and use everyday walking as repeated rehabilitation.

Explore reNeu Bionics

For patients, clinicians, and partners

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