Medicina, 2019 · DOI: 10.3390/medicina55110746 · Published: November 18, 2019
This study investigates how a special robot, called the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL), can help a man with a long-term spinal cord injury walk better. The man participated in a 25-week program that alternated between using the HAL robot for walking practice and doing regular walking exercises. The program was designed to see if alternating between robot-assisted training and regular training could improve his walking ability more than just doing one type of training alone. The man's progress was measured by looking at things like his walking speed, balance, and how far he could walk in a certain amount of time. The results showed that the combined approach of using the HAL robot and regular exercises helped him walk faster, have better balance, and walk further. This suggests that using both types of training together could be a good way to help people with spinal cord injuries improve their walking skills.
Combining HAL-assisted gait training with conventional gait training and physical therapy may be an effective strategy for improving walking ability in individuals with chronic SCI.
The alternating training program can lead to improvements in maximum walking speed, cadence, and walking distance, as well as balance and walking index scores.
The study supports the integration of robotic exoskeletons like HAL into rehabilitation programs for individuals with SCI to enhance gait training outcomes.