Traumatic brain injury is a major cause of mortality and long-term disability, often resulting in limited mobility. Limited mobility is associated with poor community participation and reduced health-related quality of life. Mobility, particularly walking, requires rapid force generation, which can be improved using ballistic strength training. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of ballistic strength training for improving mobility in people recovering from traumatic brain injury in an inpatient rehabilitation setting. The feasibility study will use a quasi-experimental single group pre-test-post-test design. We will recruit inpatients with first-ever, moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury, less than 6 months post-injury. We plan to measure recruitment capability, attendance, the incidence of adverse events, acceptability of the intervention, and ability to perform exercises. Preliminary effects of the intervention will be measured as a change in self-selected walking speed, change in walking capacity, and participant perceived difference in walking ability. The data will be descriptively analysed. In this study protocol, we outline the rationale for implementing a feasibility study to test the feasibility of ballistic strength training for inpatients who have experienced traumatic brain injuries.

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of ballistic strength training (BST) to improve the mobility of individuals recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) in an inpatient rehabilitation centre. Participants had a maximum of eight usual physiotherapy sessions substituted with BST sessions. The feasibility of BST was assessed in terms of recruitment, attendance, adverse events (AEs), and participant acceptability of the intervention. The clinical aspects of feasibility were assessed by recording the ability of participants to complete the exercises and acquire skills. Secondary measures included the 10-metre walk test, the 6-minute walk test, and the Global Rating of Change scale. Fourteen of 22 eligible individuals with TBI in an inpatient rehabilitation centre consented to participate in the study, of whom two were excluded. No intervention-related AEs occurred. Participants attended 97% (71/73) of the total sessions. Participants positively accepted the intervention as rated on a visual analogue scale, M (SD) = 9.2 (0.9). All participants were able to complete the BST exercises. Participants significantly improved comfortable walking speed and walking capacity (p < 0.01). Participants perceived a meaningful change in walking ability. BST appears to be a promising rehabilitation method that may improve the walking outcomes of individuals with TBI in an inpatient rehabilitation setting. Larger-scale clinical trials are warranted.