Jonathan Tony was a male who had a cerebrovascular accident 11 years ago. He lived independently at home, walked independently with a cane and a carbon-fiber ankle foot orthosis on the right and drove his car using the left leg. He could not stair climb reciprocally. He presented with right hemiparesis of the arm and leg and expressive aphasia. In the lower right limb, he had 2-/5 strength in his hip flexors, ankle dorsiflexors, and ankle plantar flexors with 3-/5 strength at the knee. He walked with a stiff knee gait and external rotation of the hip which limited his walking speed and efficiency. At home he walked without a cane, but in the community he used a cane. His past activities in physical therapy included strength training, gait training with the TibionTM bionic leg, and weekly walking on an air-distributed a weighting treadmill system (AlterGTM). 

With a unilateral Kickstart, he performed a series of supervised functional exercises which included squats, knee raises, walking over obstacles, and stair ascents and descents (2x/month for 2 months). He used Kickstart daily for walking at home and in the community. Ten Meter Walk and Six Minute Walk data were recorded. Data presented are with Kickstart and a walking stick. 

His case demonstrated significant improvements in all metrics. His walking speed improved from 0.5 m/s to 0.92 m/s, fast enough to be classified as an independent community ambulatory [16]. His endurance also improved dramatically (123 m to 224 m for 6 min walk). A qualitative viewing of his gait showed reduced external rotation and improvement in knee flexion with Kickstart rather than his prior stiff-legged gait. Additionally, the subject also perceived improved awareness of the limb in space and was able to walk reciprocally up and down the stairs in his home with Kickstart. Also by self-report, 12 months after beginning Kickstart use the subject reported he was able to maintain the gains made with Kickstart while walking with only an AFO and a walking stick.