Search Results (51)

Background: Wearable powered gait orthoses offer a clinically flexible alternative to treadmill-based robotic systems, yet evidence on different device configurations matched to the site of neuromuscular impairment remains limited. Methods: In this multicenter prospective pilot study, 75 participants with neurological gait impairment were allocated to a hip orthosis (HO; n = 39) or a knee–ankle–foot orthosis (KAFO; n = 36) group based on clinical assessment of predominant gait pattern. Both groups completed six overground gait-training sessions over three weeks. Primary outcomes were the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) and Ten-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), assessed without (WO) and with (WITH) the device. Secondary outcomes were the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), and Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), all assessed without the device. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for pre-to-post comparisons. Results: Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in primary walking outcomes, with consistent gains in unassisted (WO) 6MWT and 10MWT performance across groups and in device-assisted (WITH) 10MWT speed; the one exception was a small statistically significant but clinically negligible decrease in device-assisted 6MWT in the KAFO group (−4.1 m, below established MCID). In the KAFO group, BBS improved by a median of 5.5 points (43.5 to 49.0, p = 0.0005), TUG decreased by 5.1 s (p < 0.001), and DGI improved by 6.0 points (p = 0.002); all three changes exceeded published minimum detectable change thresholds. In the HO group, pre-to-post differences in BBS (+1.0), TUG (+0.8 s; an unfavorable direction), and DGI (−2.0; an unfavorable direction) were statistically detectable but small in absolute magnitude, fell at or below published thresholds for minimum detectable change, and should not be interpreted as clinically meaningful improvement. The WO-WITH performance gap in the KAFO group narrowed substantially after training, with 10MWT time no longer differing significantly between conditions at post-training (p = 0.116). Conclusions: Six sessions of gait pattern-matched powered gait orthosis training produced clinically meaningful within-group improvements in walking outcomes in both groups. In the KAFO group, balance and functional mobility outcomes also showed clinically meaningful improvements; in the HO group, balance and functional mobility outcomes showed only statistically detectable but clinically non-meaningful fluctuations around near-ceiling baseline scores. Walking benefits generalized to unassisted ambulation in both groups. These findings support the feasibility of an individualized orthosis prescription framework and provide a basis for future randomized controlled trials. Full article

Background: After ischemic heart disease, stroke is globally the second leading cause of death and the second most common cause of disability. The rehabilitation of patients with chronic stroke increasingly uses advanced technologies, such as treadmill perturbation-based training (TPBT). While the results of studies with TPBT are promising, they are inconclusive due to the limited number of works and inconsistent research methodologies. Therefore, more randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are needed to evaluate TPBT’s efficacy and applicability in post-stroke rehabilitation. This prospective RCT was designed to assess whether and to what extent TPBT can improve postural balance and gait quality and reduce fear of falling in patients with chronic stroke. Methods: Fifty individuals who were at least six months post-stroke were enrolled in the trial and randomly assigned to the experimental group (EG; n = 25) to receive the TPBT or the control group (CG; n = 25) to receive overground gait and balance training. Both groups exercised six times per day for three weeks. Results: The Berg Balance Scale showed post-intervention that the postural balance improved significantly in both groups (EG, p = 0.001 and CG, p = 0.009), but the change did not statistically significantly differentiate the EG from the CG (p = 0.256). The significant improvements in walking speed over the distance of 10 m (p = 0.015) and fear of falling (p = 0.002) in the CG were not significantly different from those in the EG (p = 0.543). Conclusions: TPBT applied to patients with chronic stroke improves their postural control comparably to conventional gait and balance training but does not enhance their gait quality. Full article

In this study, the effects of walking speed on lower limb muscle activity and gait parameters during over-ground walking were investigated in individuals with chronic stroke. Twenty-four patients with chronic stroke participated in a cross-sectional repeated-measures study, walking 20 m at three different speeds: slow (80% of self-selected speed), self-selected, and maximal speed. Surface electromyography was used to measure muscle activity in five paretic-side muscles (rectus femoris, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, and gluteus medius), while gait parameters, including stride length, stance and swing phases, single-limb support time, and the gait asymmetry index were assessed using a triaxial accelerometer. As walking speed increased, activity in the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, and gastrocnemius muscles significantly increased during the stance and swing phases (p < 0.05), whereas the gluteus medius activity tended to decrease. Stride length on the paretic and non-paretic sides significantly increased with faster walking speed (p < 0.05); however, no significant improvements were observed in other gait parameters or gait asymmetry. These findings suggest that although increasing walking speed enhances specific muscle activities, it does not necessarily improve overall gait quality or symmetry. Therefore, rehabilitation programs should incorporate multidimensional gait training that addresses speed and neuromuscular control factors such as balance and proprioception. Full article

Background and Purpose: activities-based locomotor training (AB-LT) is a restorative therapeutic approach to the treatment of movement deficits in people with non-progressive neurological conditions, including cerebral palsy (CP). Transcutaneous spinal stimulation (TSS) is an emerging tool in the rehabilitation of individuals with sensorimotor deficits caused by neurological dysfunction. This non-invasive technique delivers electrical stimulation over the spinal cord, leading to the modulation of spinal sensorimotor networks. TSS has been used in combination with AB-LT and has been shown to improve muscle activation patterns and enhance motor recovery. However, there are no published studies comparing AB-LT + TSS to AB-LT alone in children with CP. The purpose of this case study was to compare the impact of AB-LT alone versus AB-LT combined with TSS on functional movement and quality of life in a child with CP. Methods: A 13-year-old male with quadriplegic CP participated in this pilot study. He was classified in the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) at Level III. He completed 20 sessions of AB-LT (5x/week), then a 2-week washout period, followed by 20 sessions of body-AB-LT + TSS. Treatment sessions consisted of 1 h of locomotor training with body weight support and manual facilitation and 30 min of overground play-based activities. TSS was applied using the RTI Xcite^®, with stimulation at the T11 and L1 vertebral levels. Assessments including the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), 10-m walk test (10 MWT), and Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) were performed, while spatiotemporal gait parameters were assessed using the Zeno Walkway^®. All assessments were performed at three time points: before and after AB-LT, as well as after AB-LT + TSS. OUTCOMES: After 19/20 sessions of AB-LT alone, the participant showed modest improvements in the GMFM scores (from 86.32 to 88), 10 MWT speed (from 1.05 m/s to 1.1 m/s), and PBS scores (from 40 to 42). Following the AB-LT combined with TSS, scores improved to an even greater extent compared with AB-LT alone, with the GMFM increasing to 93.7, 10 MWT speed to 1.43 m/s, and PBS to 44. The most significant gains were observed in the GMFM and 10 MWT. Additionally, improvements were noted across all spatiotemporal gait parameters, particularly at faster walking speeds. Perhaps most notably, the child transitioned from the GMFCS level III to level II by the end of the study. Discussion: Higher frequency and intensity interventions aimed at promoting neuroplasticity to improve movement quality in children with CP are emerging as a promising alternative to traditional physical therapy approaches. This case study highlights the potential of TSS to augment neuroplasticity-driven treatment approaches, leading to improvements in neuromotor function in children with CP. These findings suggest that TSS could be a valuable addition to rehabilitation strategies, warranting further research to explore its efficacy in larger populations. Full article

Background/Purpose: Fractal gait patterns have been shown to be modifiable, but the extent to which they are retained and transferred to new contexts is relatively unknown. This study aimed to close those gaps by enrolling participants (N = 23) in a seven-day fractal gait training program. Methods: Building on related work, the fractal gait training occurred on a treadmill over a 10-min period. Before and after the treadmill training, each participant walked for 10 min overground without the fractal stimulus used during training. The daily post-test was used to examine immediate retention and transfer of the fractal gait patterns from the treadmill to overground. The pre-tests in days 2–7 were used to examine the extent to which the fractal gait patterns from the preceding day were retained 24 h later. Inertial measurement units were used to measure stride time so a consistent measurement method could be employed in the treadmill and overground phases of the study. Results: Our results showed that multiple days of treadmill training led to elevated fractal patterns, indicating a positive training effect. However, the positive training effect observed on the treadmill did not transfer to overground walking. Conclusions: Collectively, the data show that fractal patterns in gait are modifiable across multiple days of training, but the transferability of these patterns to new contexts needs to be further explored. Full article

Lower limb exoskeletons represent a relevant tool for rehabilitating gait in patients with lower limb movement disorders. Partial assistance exoskeletons adaptively provide the joint torque needed, on top of that produced by the patient, for a correct and stable gait, helping the patient to recover an autonomous gait. Thus, the device needs to identify the different phases of the gait cycle to produce precisely timed commands that drive its joint motors appropriately. In this study, EMG signals have been used for gait phase detection considering that EMG activations lead limb kinematics by at least 120 ms. We propose a deep learning model based on bidirectional LSTM to identify stance and swing gait phases from EMG data. We built a dataset of EMG signals recorded at 1500 Hz from four muscles from the dominant leg in a population of 26 healthy subjects walking overground (WO) and walking on a treadmill (WT) using a lower limb exoskeleton. The data were labeled with the corresponding stance or swing gait phase based on limb kinematics provided by inertial motion sensors. The model was studied in three different scenarios, and we explored its generalization abilities and evaluated its applicability to the online processing of EMG data. The training was always conducted on 500-sample sequences from WO recordings of 23 subjects. Testing always involved WO and WT sequences from the remaining three subjects. First, the model was trained and tested on 500 Hz EMG data, obtaining an overall accuracy on the WO and WT test datasets of 92.43% and 91.16%, respectively. The simulation of online operation required 127 ms to preprocess and classify one sequence. Second, the trained model was evaluated against a test set built on 1500 Hz EMG data. The accuracies were lower, yet the processing times were 11 ms faster. Third, we partially retrained the model on a subset of the 1500 Hz training dataset, achieving 87.17% and 89.64% accuracy on the 1500 Hz WO and WT test sets, respectively. Overall, the proposed deep learning model appears to be a valuable candidate for entering the control pipeline of a lower limb rehabilitation exoskeleton in terms of both the achieved accuracy and processing times. Full article

So far, there have been no high-quality studies examining the efficacy of outpatient biofeedback devices in cases of prescribed partial weight-bearing, such as after surgery on the lower limbs. This study aimed to assess whether a biofeedback device is more effective than using a personal scale. Two groups of healthy individuals wearing an insole orthosis were trained to achieve partial loading in a three-point gait within a target zone of 15–30 kg during overground walking and going up and down stairs. The treatment group (20 women and 22 men) received continuous biofeedback, while the control group (26 women and 16 men) received no information. Findings were compared in a randomized controlled trial. Compliance with partial loading without biofeedback was poor; on level ground and stairs, only one in two steps fell within the target area, and overloading occurred on at least one in three steps. The treatment group reduced the percentage of steps taken in the overload zone to ≤8.4% (p < 0.001 across all three courses) and achieved more than two-thirds of their steps within the target zone (p < 0.001 on level ground, p = 0.008 upstairs, and p = 0.028 downstairs). In contrast, the control group did not demonstrate any significant differences in the target zone (p = 0.571 on level ground, p = 0.332 upstairs, and p = 0.392 downstairs). In terms of maintaining partial load, outpatient biofeedback systems outperform bathroom scales. Full article

Relearning to walk requires progressive training in real scenarios—overground—along with assistance in basic tasks, such as balancing. In addition, user ability must be maximized through compliant robotic assistance as needed. Despite decades of research, gait rehabilitation robotic devices yield controversial results. This article presents the conceptual design of a novel walking assistance and rehabilitation robot, the NIMBLE robot, aimed at providing ambulatory, bodyweight-supported gait training, assisting the user’s center of mass trajectory to aid weight transfer and dynamic balance during walking. NIMBLE consists of a robotic mobile frame, a partial bodyweight support (PBWS) system, an ambulatory lower-limb exoskeleton (Exo-H3) and a cable-driven pelvis-assisting robot. Designed as a modular structure, it differentiates hierarchical communication levels through a Robot Operating System (ROS) 2 network. We present the mechatronic design and experimental results assessing the impact of the mechatronic coupling between the robotic modules on the walking kinematics and the frame movement control performance. The robotic frame hardly affects the walking kinematics up to 2 degrees in both the sagittal and frontal planes, making it feasible for lateral balance and weight translation training. Moreover, it successfully tracks and follows user trajectories. The NIMBLE robotic frame assessment shows promising results for ambulatory gait rehabilitation. Full article

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of overground robot exoskeleton gait training on gait outcomes, balance, and motor function in patients with stroke. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, literature searches were performed in the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, SCOPUS, Ovid-LWW, and RISS databases. A total of 504 articles were identified, of which 19 were included for analysis after application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The included literature was qualitatively evaluated using the PEDro scale, while the Egger’s regression, funnel plot, and trim-and-fill methods were applied to assess and adjust for publication bias. Results: The averaged PEDro score was 6.21 points, indicating a high level of methodological quality. In the analysis based on dependent variables, higher effect sizes were observed in the following ascending order: gait speed (g = 0.26), motor function (g = 0.21), gait ability (g = 0.18), Timed Up and Go Test (g = −0.15), gait endurance (g = 0.11), and Berg Balance Scale (g = 0.05). Subgroup analyses further revealed significant differences in Asian populations (g = 0.26), sessions lasting longer than 30 min (g = 0.37), training frequency of three times per week or less (g = 0.38), and training duration of four weeks or less (g = 0.25). Overall, the results of this study indicate that overground robot exoskeleton gait training is effective at improving gait speed in patients with stroke, particularly when the sessions exceed 30 min, are conducted three times or less per week, and last for four weeks or less. Conclusion: our results suggest that training is an effective intervention for patients with stroke, provided that appropriate goal-setting and intensity and overground robot exoskeleton gait are applied. Full article

Cognitive reserve (CR) seems to be an ability to adapt cognitive processes in response to brain disease and may influence rehabilitation outcomes. This is a secondary analysis of the “Robot-Assisted Gait Training versus conventional therapy on mobility in severely disabled progressive MultiplE sclerosis patients” (RAGTIME) trial to investigate the influence of CR on the outcomes after gait rehabilitation in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). We included 53 PwMS and severe gait disability (EDSS 6–7). The participants were randomized into two groups to receive either robot-assisted gait training or overground walking (three times/week over four weeks). CR was evaluated by the Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRIq), which encompasses three sections (CRI Education, CRI Working Activity, and CRI Leisure Time). We stratified the patients using the 115 cut-off CRIq total score of at least a medium-high CR. The outcome measures were Timed 25-Foot Walk, 6 min walking test, Berg Balance Scale, Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale—29, Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale—12, Patient Health Questionnaire—9, and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). After gait rehabilitation, the FSS was significantly improved in those patients with higher CR compared with the others (F = 4.757, p = 0.015). In our study, CR did not affect the gait, balance, disability perception, and depression. Conversely, it positively influenced the fatigue after gait rehabilitation. Full article

The global aging population faces significant health challenges, including an increasing vulnerability to disability due to natural aging processes. Wearable lower limb exoskeletons (LLEs) have emerged as a promising solution to enhance physical function in older individuals. This systematic review synthesizes the use of LLEs in alignment with the WHO’s healthy aging vision, examining their impact on intrinsic capacities and functional abilities. We conducted a comprehensive literature search in six databases, yielding 36 relevant articles covering older adults (65+) with various health conditions, including sarcopenia, stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, osteoarthritis, and more. The interventions, spanning one to forty sessions, utilized a range of LLE technologies such as Ekso^®, HAL^®, Stride Management Assist^®, Honda Walking Assist^®, Lokomat^®, Walkbot^®, Healbot^®, Keeogo Rehab^®, EX1^®, overground wearable exoskeletons, Eksoband^®, powered ankle–foot orthoses, HAL^® lumbar type, Human Body Posturizer^®, Gait Enhancing and Motivation System^®, soft robotic suits, and active pelvis orthoses. The findings revealed substantial positive outcomes across diverse health conditions. LLE training led to improvements in key performance indicators, such as the 10 Meter Walk Test, Five Times Sit-to-Stand test, Timed Up and Go test, and more. Additionally, enhancements were observed in gait quality, joint mobility, muscle strength, and balance. These improvements were accompanied by reductions in sedentary behavior, pain perception, muscle exertion, and metabolic cost while walking. While longer intervention durations can aid in the rehabilitation of intrinsic capacities, even the instantaneous augmentation of functional abilities can be observed in a single session. In summary, this review demonstrates consistent and significant enhancements in critical parameters across a broad spectrum of health conditions following LLE interventions in older adults. These findings underscore the potential of LLE in promoting healthy aging and enhancing the well-being of older adults. Full article

Background: The feasibility and safety of rehabilitation interventions for individuals recovering from COVID-19 after the acute stage is not well understood. This pilot study aims to provide a preliminary investigation of the feasibility and safety of providing high-intensity gait training (HIT) with a targeted cardiovascular intensity of 70–85% of the age-predicted maximum heart rate (HRmax) for individuals undergoing rehabilitation post-COVID-19. Methods: Consecutive patients who were medically cleared for HIT were invited to participate in the study. Participants practiced walking in varied contexts (treadmill, overground, and stairs), aiming to spend as much time as possible within their target cardiovascular intensity zone during scheduled physical therapy (PT) sessions. Training characteristics and adverse events were collected to determine the feasibility and safety of HIT. The severity of adverse events was graded on a 1–5 scale according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Results: The participants (n = 20) took a mean of 2093 (±619) steps per PT session. The average peak heart rate during PT sessions was 81.1% (±9.4) of HRmax, and 30.1% (±21.0) of the session time was spent at heart rates ≥ 70% HRmax. Mild adverse events (grade 1) occurred in <5% of the sessions, and no intervention-requiring or life-threatening adverse events (grade 2–5) occurred. Conclusion: This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that HIT may be feasible and safe during inpatient rehabilitation for patients post-COVID-19 following medical clearance. Full article

Postural instability and the inability to regain balance during slip-induced events are the leading causes of falls on the same level in occupational environments. Virtual reality (VR) provides the potential to be immersed in a realistic environment, exposing themselves to fall-risk hazards without the risk of injury real-world exposure may cause. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the lower extremity joint kinematics of the slipping leg during real and virtually generated slip hazards. A secondary purpose was to investigate dynamic postural stability following acute exposure to real (REAL) and virtual (VR) environmental conditions. A total of 14 healthy participants’ (7 men, 7 women; age: 23.46 ± 3.31 years; height: 173.85 ± 8.48 cm; mass: 82.19 ± 11.41 kg; shoe size (men’s): 9.03 ± 2.71) knee and ankle joint kinematics were compared during exposure to both REAL and VR environments. Participants then completed a series of Timed Up-and-Go (TUG) variations (standard, cognitive, manual) at the beginning and the end of exposure to each environment. TUG-C involved backwards counting and TUG-M involved walking with an anterior load. Environmental exposure was selected in a counterbalanced order to prevent an order effect. Knee and ankle joint kinematics were analyzed separately using a 2 × 3 repeated measure ANOVA to compare environments as well as gait types at an alpha level of 0.05. TUG variations were also analyzed separately using a 3 × 3 repeated-measures ANOVA to compare TUG variations and environment. No significant differences were observed for knee or ankle joint kinematics between environments or gait types. There were also no significant interactions between environments and gait types. However, significant differences were observed for TUG-C following VR environmental conditions (p = 0.027). Post hoc comparisons revealed significantly lower times for TUG-C following VR exposure (p = 0.029). No significance was observed for TUG-S or TUG-M. Current findings suggest the potential effectiveness of VR as a means of fall prevention training for occupational populations based on improved TUG-C and similar lower extremity joint kinematics in REAL and VR conditions. Full article

Altered tibiofemoral contact forces represent a risk factor for osteoarthritis onset and progression, making optimization of the knee force distribution a target of treatment strategies. Musculoskeletal model-based simulations are a state-of-the-art method to estimate joint contact forces, but they typically require laboratory-based input and skilled operators. To overcome these limitations, ambulatory methods, relying on inertial measurement units, have been proposed to estimated ground reaction forces and, consequently, knee contact forces out-of-the-lab. This study proposes the use of a full inertial-capture-based musculoskeletal modelling workflow with an underlying probabilistic principal component analysis model trained on 1787 gait cycles in patients with knee osteoarthritis. As validation, five patients with knee osteoarthritis were instrumented with 17 inertial measurement units and 76 opto-reflective markers. Participants performed multiple overground walking trials while motion and inertial capture methods were synchronously recorded. Moderate to strong correlations were found for the inertial capture-based knee contact forces compared to motion capture with root mean square error between 0.15 and 0.40 of body weight. The results show that our workflow can inform and potentially assist clinical practitioners to monitor knee joint loading in physical therapy sessions and eventually assess long-term therapeutic effects in a clinical context. Full article

Background: Wearable devices for robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) provide overground gait training for the rehabilitation of neurological injuries. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of RAGT in patients with a neurologic deficit. Methods: Twenty-eight patients receiving more than ten sessions of overground RAGT using a joint-torque-assisting wearable exoskeletal robot were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Nineteen patients with brain injury, seven patients with spinal cord injury and two patients with peripheral nerve injury were included. Clinical outcomes, such as the Medical Research Council scale for muscle strength, Berg balance scale, functional ambulation category, trunk control tests, and Fugl–Meyer motor assessment of the lower extremities, were recorded before and after RAGT. Parameters for RAGT and adverse events were also recorded. Results: The Medical Research Council scale scores for muscle strength (36.6 to 37.8), Berg balance scale (24.9 to 32.2), and functional ambulation category (1.8 to 2.7) significantly improved after overground RAGT (p < 0.05). The familiarization process was completed within six sessions of RAGT. Only two mild adverse events were reported. Conclusions: Overground RAGT using wearable devices can improve muscle strength, balance, and gait function. It is safe in patients with neurologic injury. Full article