Effects of end-effector robot-assisted gait training on gait ability, muscle strength, and balance in patients with spinal cord injury.

Background: There is no randomized controlled study about the effects of end-effector robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Objective: To examine the effects of end-effector RAGT on gait and balance abilities in SCI.

Methods: Thirty-one patients were randomly assigned to the RAGT (Morning Walk®, Curexo, Seoul, South Korea) or conventional therapy (CT) group. Patients were assessed using the 10-meter walk test (10MWT), 6-minute walk test (6mWT), lower extremity motor score (LEMS) and proprioception, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury-II (WISCI-II), and mobility category of Spinal Cord Independence Measure-III.

Results: All clinical outcome measures significantly improved in both groups. The BBS and WISCI-II were significantly improved in the RAGT group compared to the CT group. In the RAGT group, pre-LEMS and pre-WISCI-II of the 10MWT improved group and pre-BBS of the 6mWT improved group were higher than those of the 10MWT non-improved and 6mWT non-improved group, respectively.

Conclusion: End-effector RAGT and CT in patients with incomplete SCI could lead to improvements in gait ability, lower extremity muscle strength, balance, proprioception, and mobility. Additionally, end-effector RAGT could improve balance and gait abilities substantially better than CT.