A systematic review of the determinants of implementation of a locomotor training program using a powered exoskeleton for individuals with a spinal cord injury.

Background: Wearable powered exoskeletons represent a promising rehabilitation tool for locomotor training in various populations, including in individuals with a spinal cord injury. The lack of clear evidence on how to implement a locomotor powered exoskeleton training program raises many challenges for patients, clinicians and organizations.

Objective: To report determinants of implementation in clinical practice of an overground powered exoskeleton locomotor training program for persons with a spinal cord injury.

Walking aid training as a clinical competence in Canadian entry-to-practice professional academic programs.

Purpose: Multiple healthcare professionals fit walking aids (WA) and train individuals on their use. The purpose of this investigation was to describe curricula on WA fitting and training in Canadian entry-to-practice professional programs.

Materials And Methods: An online survey was administered to leads from all accredited programs ( = 199).

Community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairments show subtle visual attention costs when descending stairs.

Background: Older adults are at greater risk of falls while descending stairs. Cognitive deficits can further influence one's ability and mild cognitive impairments (MCI) specifically affect visual attention and dual tasking behavior. The present study aimed at comparing the attentional costs at different points during the approach to and descent of a staircase between older adults with and without MCI.

Substituting anticipatory locomotor adjustments online is time constrained.

Two crucial, multi-articular strategies for anticipatory locomotor adjustments (ALA) are knee flexor generation to step over obstacles and hip flexor generation to step up. While lower limb control can be adapted online to modify an already planned obstacle avoidance, or to avoid the sudden appearance of an obstacle, it is not known whether a planned ALA can be substituted by different one online. The present objective was to study such ALA substitutions at two specific timepoints: the final planning stage and the initiation of ALA execution.

Walking Aid Use in Canada: Prevalence and Demographic Characteristics Among Community-Dwelling Users.

Background: Mobility limitations represent the third most prevalent cause of disability, affecting more than 1.9 million community-dwelling Canadians. Walking aids are often prescribed to reduce the impacts of mobility impairments.

Visuo-locomotor control in persons with spinal cord injury in a manual or power wheelchair for direction change and obstacle circumvention.

Many individuals, such as persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), rely on wheeled locomotion involving manual (MWC) or power (PWC) wheelchairs to navigate their environments. Yet, visuo-locomotor control underlying WC navigation in experienced users is not well understood. The objective of this study was to compare the visuo-locomotor control between MWC and PWC in individuals with SCI while changing direction and circumventing an obstacle.

Visuo-locomotor coordination for direction changes in a manual wheelchair as compared to biped locomotion in healthy subjects.

The visual system during walking provides travel path and environmental information. Although the manual wheelchair (MWC) is also a frequent mode of locomotion, its underlying visuo-locomotor control is not well understood. This study begins to understand the visuo-locomotor coordination for MWC navigation in relation to biped gait during direction changes in healthy subjects.