title: Application of a paraplegic gait orthosis in thoracolumbar spinal cord injury.
abstract: Paraplegic gait orthosis has been shown to help paraplegic patients stand and walk, although this method cannot be individualized for patients with different spinal cord injuries and functional recovery of the lower extremities. There is, however, a great need to develop individualized paraplegic orthosis to improve overall quality of life for paraplegic patients. In the present study, 36 spinal cord (below T4) injury patients were equally and randomly divided into control and observation groups. The control group received systematic rehabilitation training, including maintenance of joint range of motion, residual muscle strength training, standing training, balance training, and functional electrical stimulation. The observation group received an individualized paraplegic locomotion brace and functional training according to the various spinal cord injury levels and muscle strength based on comprehensive systematic rehabilitation training. After 3 months of rehabilitation training, the observation group achieved therapeutic locomotion in 8 cases, family-based locomotion in 7 cases, and community-based locomotion in 3 cases. However, locomotion was not achieved in any of the control group patients. These findings suggest that individualized paraplegic braces significantly improve activity of daily living and locomotion in patients with thoracolumbar spinal cord injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Lang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shuai
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Guo-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6268-2516
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Wan-Song
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yan
keywords: activity of daily living; ankle foot orthosis; hip-knee ankle foot orthosis; knee-ankle foot orthosis; locomotion ability; nerve regeneration; neural regeneration; paraplegia brace; reciprocating gait orthosis; spinal cord injury; thoracolumbar spine