The safety and feasibility of a new rehabilitation robotic exoskeleton for assisting individuals with lower extremity motor complete lesions following spinal cord injury (SCI): an observational study.
Spinal Cord 2020;
58:787-794. [PMID:
32034295 DOI:
10.1038/s41393-020-0423-9]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN
A pre-post observational study.
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the safety and feasibility of a new rehabilitation robotic device for assisting individuals with lower extremity motor complete lesions following spinal cord injury (SCI).
SETTING
Three hospitals in Sichuan Province, China.
METHODS
Individuals aged 15-75 years with an SCI between vertebrae six (T6) and lumbar 1 (L1) and complete motor paralysis participated in an exoskeletal-assisted walking (EAW) programme (2 weeks, 5 days/week, 30 min/day). Data were collected pre-, mid- (week 1) and post-intervention (week 2).
RESULTS
Twenty-eight individuals (mean age = 41.3, 71% males) participated in the EAW programme. The distance walked during the 6-min walking test (6MWT) increased relative to that at baseline, during week 1 (13.0 ± 5.3 m) and week 2 (16.2 ± 5.3 m) when wearing the exoskeleton. The walking speed during the 10-m walking test (10MWT) increased from 0.039 ± 0.016 to 0.045 ± 0.016 m/s. The Hoffer walking ability grade, the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM), and the Walking Index for SCI II (WISCI II) changed after 2 weeks of EAW. No improvement in lower extremity motor score (LEMS) was observed. The rates of adverse events and serious adverse events were 21% and 4%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The EAW programme with the new robotic exoskeleton provided potential meaningful improvements in mobility for individuals with SCI and had few adverse events.
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