Robotic orthoses for body weight-supported treadmill training.
BWSTT has become an accepted standard of care in gait rehabilitation methods. This type of locomotor training has many functional benefits, but the physical labor costs are considerable. To reduce therapist effort and improve the repeatability of locomotor training, three groups have developed commercially available robotic devices for assisted stepping. The purpose of these robotic devices is to augment locomotor rehabilitation by decreasing therapist manual assistance, increasing the amount of stepping practice, while decreasing therapist effort. Current clinical studies have yielded positive and promising results in locomotor rehabilitation inpatients with neurologic impairments of stroke or SCI. The potential benefits from robotic technology are significant for clinical use and research. As further research is conducted, rehabilitation therapists and patient outcomes will be able to contribute to the development of current and future technologies.
Winchester
Patricia
P
Department of Physical Therapy, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-8876, USA. patricia.winchester@utsouthwestern.edu
Querry
Ross
R
D001835:Body Weight; D004867:Equipment Design / Q000379:methods; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity; D009989:Orthotic Devices; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012371:Robotics; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome