Combining specific task-oriented training with manual therapy to improve balance and mobility in patients after stroke: a mixed methods pilot randomised controlled trial.

German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00023068. Registered on 21.09.2020, https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00023068Implications for rehabilitationA specific goal- and task-oriented training involving timed mobility and dynamic balance activities based on the demands of daily life, of high intensity and progressed in difficulty according to predefined criteria is feasible in patients after stroke.In this mixed methods pilot study patients indicated high acceptability of task-oriented training with and without ankle mobilisations, with their descriptions being in line with the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability.Specific task-oriented training and its combination with talocrural joint manual therapy improved balance, mobility, talocrural dorsiflexion range of motion and some domains of health-related quality of life in people after stroke.