Body Representation in Patients with Severe Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study on the Promising Role of Powered Exoskeleton for Gait Training

This study investigates how robotic training with the Ekso-GT device affects body representation and quality of life in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Participants were divided into two groups: one receiving robotic training and the other receiving conventional physical therapy. The study found that robotic training led to improvements in body representation, psychological distress, perception of legs/thighs, and overall quality of life compared to conventional therapy. This suggests that using exoskeletons could help SCI patients improve not only their physical abilities but also their mental well-being. The researchers suggest that the Ekso-GT device helps patients experience a more natural walking motion, which sends strong sensory information to the brain, improving how they perceive their bodies. This is especially true for patients who still have some sensation in their bodies.

• 1
  Ekso training led to a better improvement in the GSI and PSDI items as compared to the CG, with a moderate effect size (g = 0.56 and, respectively, g = 0.42).
• 2
  The Ekso training led to better results than CPT did in overall quality of life (SF-12 Total; g = 0.11) and in physical perception (SF-12 Physical; g = 0.11) as well as in mood (BDI; g = 0.44) but with low-to-moderate effect sizes.
• 3
  EG-B had a higher BR recovery than EG-A, as demonstrated by the results of the BUT subscales. These data could be explained by the fact that EG-B had a greater perception of the body than EG-A owing to the sparing of the sensory functions.