Aschbacher 2006

Methods	RCT Method of randomisation: not stated Blinding of outcome assessors: stated as 'yes' by the investigator Adverse events: not stated Deaths: not stated Drop‐outs: 4 (1 in treatment group, 3 in control group) ITT: unclear
Participants	Country: Switzerland 23 participants (12 in treatment group, 11 in control group) Not ambulatory at start of study Mean age: 57 to 67 years (control and treatment groups, respectively) Inclusion criteria: ≤ 3 months after stroke, ability to stand or walk 5 metres Exclusion criteria: orthopaedic problems, contractures, NYHA III‐IV
Interventions	2 arms: Control group used task‐oriented physiotherapy, 5 times a week for 3 weeks (2.5 hours a week) Experimental group used robotic‐assisted treadmill training (Lokomat) for the same time and frequency
Outcomes	Outcomes were recorded at baseline and after 3 weeks and 6 months later Primary outcomes: walking velocity, step length, endurance, walking ability (FAC) Secondary outcomes: isometric knee extension strength, patient acceptance and satisfaction (Visual Analogue Scale)
Notes	Unpublished data
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Method of randomisation not described
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not described
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Unclear
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Unclear