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Differences in gait biomechanics during level walking between chronic stroke patients with and without depression
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  • Published: 20 February 2026

Differences in gait biomechanics during level walking between chronic stroke patients with and without depression

  • Se-Young Bak  ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6002-22071,2,
  • Eun-Hye Chung1,2,
  • Seyoung Shin1,2,3,
  • Heegoo Kim1,2,
  • Eunyoung Cho1,
  • HyeongMin Jeon1,2,3 &
  • …
  • MinYoung Kim1,2,3 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

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  • Biomarkers
  • Engineering
  • Health care

Abstract

Depression is the most prevalent emotional disorder among post-stroke patients and may influence gait recovery and movement patterns. However, scarce prior research has specifically examined the biomechanical differences in gait between stroke patients with and without depression. This study aimed to explore variations in lower extremity biomechanical parameters during gait based on depression status. A prospective observational design was employed, recruiting 20 chronic stroke patients (post-onset > 6 months) and 10 healthy persons. The Geriatric Depression Scale classified stroke patients into a depressed group (n = 10) and a non-depressed group (n = 10). Participants walked along a seven-meter walkway while a 3D motion analysis system captured sagittal plane biomechanical data from the bilateral hip, knee, and ankle joints. Group differences were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, with Mann-Whitney post-hoc comparisons. Findings revealed that the non-depressed group exhibited significantly greater peak generation power at the unaffected hip compared to the depressed group (p = 0.019). Additionally, both stroke groups demonstrated significantly lower peak ankle generation power and reduced maximum knee flexion on the unaffected side compared to the healthy group (p < 0.05). These results suggest that post-stroke gait biomechanics could be different according to psychological factors, emphasizing the need for tailored therapy in the latter rehabilitation period.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (HR22C1605; RS-2023-00262005).

Funding

This research was supported by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (HR22C1605; RS-2023-00262005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam-si, South Korea

    Se-Young Bak, Eun-Hye Chung, Seyoung Shin, Heegoo Kim, Eunyoung Cho, HyeongMin Jeon & MinYoung Kim

  2. Digital Therapeutics Research Team, CHA Future Medicine Research Institute, Seongnam-si, South Korea

    Se-Young Bak, Eun-Hye Chung, Seyoung Shin, Heegoo Kim, HyeongMin Jeon & MinYoung Kim

  3. Rehabilitation and Regeneration Research Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam-si, South Korea

    Seyoung Shin, HyeongMin Jeon & MinYoung Kim

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Contributions

S.B. participated on the experiment, prepared materials for the manuscript, performed data acquisition and data processing, analyzed the results, and wrote original draft. E.C. participated on the experiment and performed data acquisition. S.S. conducted the experimental protocols and edited the manuscript. H.K. and E.C contributed to acquire and analyze the data. H.J. conducted the experimental protocols, supervised the study, reviewed and edited the manuscript. M.K. supervised the study, reviewed and edited the manuscript, and supported the fund for conducting the experiment and submitting the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to HyeongMin Jeon or MinYoung Kim.

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Bak, SY., Chung, EH., Shin, S. et al. Differences in gait biomechanics during level walking between chronic stroke patients with and without depression. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40475-w

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  • Received: 28 May 2025

  • Accepted: 13 February 2026

  • Published: 20 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40475-w

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Keywords

  • Depression
  • Kinetics
  • Range of motion
  • Stroke
  • Gait
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