Balance and gait impairments are major contributors to disability after stroke, requiring accurate assessment and high-quality rehabilitation. Recent consensus from the Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable defines a minimal core set of measures, combining clinical scales and technology-based metrics to capture independence, speed, endurance, and movement quality across recovery phases.

International guidelines consistently recommend intensive, repetitive, task- and context-specific training, including tailored walking practice, treadmill training, circuit class therapy, and cardiorespiratory exercise, with a strong emphasis on therapy dose and intensity. Rehabilitation technology—including wearable sensors, virtual reality, and biofeedback—further enhances assessment and therapy by enabling objective measurement of real-world walking and providing augmented feedback during training.

Building on this evidence base, the BOOST GAIT study investigates a structured, group-based, high-dose intervention delivered during inpatient rehabilitation focusing on transfers, stepping, and walking and integrates clinical and sensor-based outcomes.

This keynote highlights how combining standardized assessment, guideline-based therapy, and innovative technology can improve mobility outcomes and bridge the gap between research and clinical practice.