Soft exosuits increase walking speed and distance after stroke

Awad, Louis N.; Bae, Jaehyun; O’Donnell, Kathleen; Hendron, Kathryn; Sloot, Lizeth H.; Siviy, Christopher; Kudzia, Pawel; Ellis, Terry; Walsh, Conor J.

doi:10.1109/werob.2017.8383847

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Users participated in, on average, 311 minutes of treadmill and overground gait training with the device. Findings of no device-related falls or serious adverse events, high device reliability, and promising exploratory clinical findings complement the early laboratory research with device prototypes [47,144,145,[147][148][149] (Fig. 6, Right) and motivate future controlled efficacy trials of this emerging wearable assistive technology.…”

Section: Propulsion-augmenting Exoskeletons and Exosuitsmentioning

confidence: 56%

These legs were made for propulsion: advancing the diagnosis and treatment of post-stroke propulsion deficits

Awad

Lewek

Kesar

et al. 2020

J NeuroEngineering Rehabil

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Advances in medical diagnosis and treatment have facilitated the emergence of precision medicine. In contrast, locomotor rehabilitation for individuals with acquired neuromotor injuries remains limited by the dearth of (i) diagnostic approaches that can identify the specific neuromuscular, biomechanical, and clinical deficits underlying impaired locomotion and (ii) evidence-based, targeted treatments. In particular, impaired propulsion by the paretic limb is a major contributor to walking-related disability after stroke; however, few interventions have been able to target deficits in propulsion effectively and in a manner that reduces walking disability. Indeed, the weakness and impaired control that is characteristic of post-stroke hemiparesis leads to heterogeneous deficits that impair paretic propulsion and contribute to a slow, metabolically-expensive, and unstable gait. Current rehabilitation paradigms emphasize the rapid attainment of walking independence, not the restoration of normal propulsion function. Although walking independence is an important goal for stroke survivors, independence achieved via compensatory strategies may prevent the recovery of propulsion needed for the fast, economical, and stable gait that is characteristic of healthy bipedal locomotion. We posit that post-stroke rehabilitation should aim to promote independent walking, in part, through the acquisition of enhanced propulsion. In this expert review, we present the biomechanical and functional consequences of post-stroke propulsion deficits, review advances in our understanding of the nature of post-stroke propulsion impairment, and discuss emerging diagnostic and treatment approaches that have the potential to facilitate new rehabilitation paradigms targeting propulsion restoration.

show abstract