Robot applied stance loading increases hindlimb muscle mass and stepping kinetics in a rat model of spinal cord injury.

Following spinal cord injury (SCI) reduced limb usage typically results in muscle atrophy. While robotic locomotor training has been shown to improve several aspects of stepping ability following SCI, little is known regarding the effects of automated training on the preservation of muscle function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two robotic locomotor training algorithms on hindlimb strength and muscle mass in a rat model of SCI.

Assessment of hindlimb locomotor strength in spinal cord transected rats through animal-robot contact force.

Robotic locomotor training devices have gained popularity in recent years, yet little has been reported regarding contact forces experienced by the subject performing automated locomotor training, particularly in animal models of neurological injury. The purpose of this study was to develop a means for acquiring contact forces between a robotic device and a rodent model of spinal cord injury through instrumentation of a robotic gait training device (the rat stepper) with miniature force/torque sensors. Sensors were placed at each interface between the robot arm and animal's hindlimb and underneath the stepping surface of both hindpaws (four sensors total).