Grand Rounds Seminar

Abstract: While improvements in walking function after treadmill training are statistically significant, the functional gains are relatively small for many individuals post-stroke.  One of key reasons for this limited effectiveness may be due to the compensatory motor strategies employed during training, i.e., patients with hemiparesis often rely more on the unaffected leg for performing bipedal walking during treadmill training, which may result in limited improvement in motor control of the affected leg.  Thus, there is a clear need to develop new training paradigms to maximize functional gains.  Constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) has been utilized to improve motor function of the affected arm in individuals post-stroke through forced use of their affected arm and by restricting movements of the unaffected arm.  However, such interventions have not been effectively transferred to lower limb training in individuals post-stroke due to the coupling between the two legs during bipedal gait and the risk of falling.  To address this, we developed a new strategy to implement CIMT for lower limb training by applying a phasic targeted constraint force to the pelvis and/or unaffected leg during walking.  This approach serves to overcome the compensatory motor strategies employed by patients and induces enhanced use of the affected leg during locomotor training.  Further, we examined whether neuromodulation through closed-loop spatiotemporal transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation and brain stimulation (i.e., tDCS) paired with targeted constraint force could further enhance motor control of the paretic leg in individuals post-stroke.

About: Dr. Ming Wu obtained his PhD from Tsinghua University in Beijing and completed his Post-Doc training at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) and Northwestern University.  Since then, he is a Research Scientist at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly RIC), and a research faculty member of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of Northwestern University.  In 2018, he joined the University of Illinois Chicago as a faculty member of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and he continues to hold his position as a Research Scientist and conducts his research at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.  His research interests focus on the development of new robotic technologies to improve walking function and balance function in patients post stroke, spinal cord injury, and children with cerebral palsy.  His research has been supported by the NIH or other research foundations.  

Abstract: Despite multiple medical treatments for spasticity, most patients with disabling spasticity are not optimally treated. The reasons are multifactorial. Lack of provider training, clinical trials, and understanding of the basic pathophysiology are a few of the reasons for this unmet need. Most clinical trials involve individual treatments even though patients with generalized spasticity frequently require a combination of treatments to manage their problematic spasticity.  Collaborative research between basic scientists and clinicians can improve our understanding of pathophysiology and how to optimize individual and combined treatments for disabling spasticity. 

About: Dr. John McGuire, MD is a professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). He received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota, completed his residency at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC)/Northwestern University and completed his fellowship at RIC in Stroke Rehabilitation. He is the primary physician scientist within the PMR department at MCW. He has secured more than six million dollars of funding from prominent sources such as industry partners, the NIH and the NSF for innovative research in spasticity treatments and stroke rehabilitation. His research has focused on improving patient’s quality of life and advancing the overall understanding of rehabilitation strategies for those affected by stroke and spasticity.

April 29, 2026: Ming Wu, PhD
Research Scientist, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Associate Professor, Bioengineering UIC

May 13, 2026: John R. McGuire, MD
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Professor, Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin