Improved Gait Speed After Robot-Assisted Gait Training in Patients With Motor Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical features that could serve as predictive factors for improvement in gait speed after robotic treatment.MethodsA total of 29 patients with motor incomplete spinal cord injury received 4-week robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) on the Lokomat (Hocoma AG, Volketswil, Switzerland) for 30 minutes, once a day, 5 times a week, for a total of 20 sessions. All subjects were evaluated for general characteristics, the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), the Lower Extremity Motor Score (LEMS), the Functional Ambulatory Category (FAC), the Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury version II (WISCI-II), the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the Spinal Cord Independence Measure version III (SCIM-III) every 0, and 4 weeks. After all the interventions, subjects were stratified using the 10MWT score at 4 weeks into improved group and non-improved group for statistical analysis.ResultsThe improved group had younger age and shorter disease duration than the non-improved group. All subjects with the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale level C (AIS-C) tetraplegia belonged to the non-improved group, while most subjects with AIS-C paraplegia, AIS-D tetraplegia, and AIS-D paraplegia belonged to the improved group. The improved group showed greater baseline lower extremity strength, balance, and daily living function than the non-improved group.ConclusionAssessment of SCIM-III, BBS, and trunk control, in addition to LEMS, have potential for predicting the effects of robotic treatment in patients with motor incomplete spinal cord injury.

Feasibility of Overground Gait Training Using a Joint-Torque-Assisting Wearable Exoskeletal Robot in Children with Static Brain Injury

“…Moreover, overground gait training using a wearable robot was demonstrated as more effective for dynamic balance than tethered-type robots [ 21 , 22 ]. They emphasized that facilitation of the trunk muscles for appropriate alignment of the body axis during weight-shifting movement could improve both static and dynamic balance control, followed by gait function [ 23 , 24 ]. Considering that gross motor function reflects dynamic balance [ 25 , 26 ], the simultaneous improvement of gross motor function and gait ability through RAGT was shown in this study.…”

Effects of robot-assisted gait training on lower extremity strength, functional independence, and walking function in men with incomplete traumatic spinal cord injury

“…Furthermore, Hwang et al [18] concluded that 30-min RAGT sessions for five times a week for a total of 20 sessions was useful in terms of ambulation. The improvement was higher among younger patients and those with shorter injury duration who had subacute incomplete motor SCI.…”

A Survey on Socially Assistive Robotics: Clinicians’ and Patients’ Perception of a Social Robot within Gait Rehabilitation Therapies

“…It uses sensory stimulation fed by proprioceptive feedback games, improving the neuroplasticity for functional recovery. Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of Lokomat in improving the motor control of the body [4], the muscle mass regaining [5], the gait speed, and the muscle capabilities [6]. Furthermore, Lokomat provides objective assessments by using quantitative indicators offering the clinicians a complete perspective of the patient's physiological progress [7].…”