Background Individuals post-stroke select slow comfortable walking speeds (CWS) and the major factors used to select their CWS is unknown. Objective To determine the extent to which slow CWS post-stroke is achieved through matching a relative force output or targeting a particular walking speed. Methods Ten neurologically nonimpaired individuals and fourteen chronic stroke survivors with hemiplegia were recruited. Participants were instructed to “walk at the speed that feels most comfortable” on a treadmill against 12 progressively increasing horizontal resistive force levels applied at the pelvis using a robotic system that allowed participant to self-select their walking speed. We compared slope coefficients of the simple linear regressions between the observed normalized force vs. normalized speed relationship in each group to a slope of -1.0 (i.e. ideal slope for a constant relative force output) and 0.0 (i.e. ideal slope for a constant relative speed). We also compared slope coefficients between groups. Results The slope coefficients were significantly greater than -1.0 (p?
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