Training for Walking Efficiency with a Wearable Hip-assist Robot in Stroke Patients: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Journal
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Date
2019.12.02
Abstract
ABSTRACT
2 Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of gait
3 training with a newly developed wearable hip-assist robot on locomotor function and
4 efficiency in chronic stroke patients.
5 Methods: Twenty-eight stroke patients with hemiparesis were initially enrolled and 26
6 patients completed the randomized controlled trial (14 in the experimental and 12 in the
7 control groups). The experimental group participated in a gait training program over a total of
8 ten sessions, including five treadmill sessions and five over-ground gait training sessions
9 while wearing a hip-assist robot, the Gait Enhancing Motivating System (GEMS, Samsung
10 Advanced Institute of Technology, Suwon, Republic of Korea). The control group received
11 gait training without GEMS. Primary outcome measured locomotor function and
12 cardiopulmonary metabolic energy efficiency. Also, secondary outcome measured motor
13 function and balance parameter.
14 Results: Compared to the control group, the experimental group had significantly greater
15 improvement in spatiotemporal gait parameters and muscle efforts after the training
16 intervention (P<0.05). The net cardiopulmonary metabolic energy cost (ml·kg-1·min-1) was
17 also reduced by 14.71％ in the experimental group after the intervention (P<0.01). Significant
18 group × time interactions were observed for all parameters (P<0.05). Cardiopulmonary
19 metabolic efficiency was strongly correlated with gait symmetry ratio in the experimental
20 group (P<0.01).
21 Conclusions: Gait training with GEMS was effective for improving locomotor function and
22 cardiopulmonary metabolic energy efficiency during walking in stroke patients. These
23 findings suggest that robotic locomotor training can be adopted for rehabilitation of stroke
24 patients with gait disorders.
