Task Specific Training and Conventional Physical Therapy on Ankle Dorsiflexion in Sub-acute Stroke Patients

This study is a randomized clinical trial designed to compare two physiotherapy rehabilitation approaches for people in the sub-acute phase after stroke (2-6 months after stroke). Stroke often causes weakness of the ankle dorsiflexor muscles, which can lead to foot drop and difficulty walking safely. Improving ankle control may help balance and functional mobility. Eligible participants will be recruited from two tertiary care hospitals using purposive sampling and enrolled after providing informed consent. After baseline assessment, participants will be randomly allocated to one of two groups. The experimental group will receive task-specific training combined with conventional physiotherapy, and the control group will receive conventional physiotherapy alone. Treatment will be delivered for 8 weeks, three sessions per week. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and after completion of the 8-week intervention. The primary outcomes are ankle dorsiflexor strength measured by Manual Muscle Testing (MMT) and functional mobility measured by the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Balance measured by the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) is the secondary outcome. An independent outcome assessor who is not involved in treatment delivery will conduct the assessments to reduce measurement bias.