A wearable ankle-assisted robot for improving gait function and pattern in stroke patients.
Su-Hyun Lee, Jinuk Kim, Hwang-Jae Lee and 1 others
PMID 40264191WHAT IT FOUND
Stroke patients walked faster, with longer strides and better symmetry, while using a powered ankle exoskeleton compared with walking without it.
The study did not separate the device’s weight from its powered assistance.
Key findings
01Mean self-selected gait speed was 50.78 cm/s during free walking and 60.86 cm/s during walking while wearing the device and using powered assistance (p = 0.001).
02Cadence and stride length were higher during powered-assisted walking than during free walking (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001), and step, stance, and swing symmetry ratios differed between conditions.
03Peak ankle dorsiflexion angle and peak ankle moment were higher during powered-assisted walking than during free walking (p < 0.000 and p = 0.035).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study measured only immediate walking effects in one session, so it does not show whether repeated training produces lasting improvement. The free-gait condition came after a familiarization session with the device, which may have influenced performance. The study did not compare walking with the unpowered device, so it cannot separate the effect of powered assistance from the weight of wearing the exoskeleton. The authors state that the small sample size and low statistical power limit generalization. The study was conducted at a single center, and the device was developed by Samsung Research.
Declared interests
The GEMS-A device was developed by Samsung Research, the study was conducted at Samsung Medical Center, and the named funders were Samsung Electronics and the Korea Medical Device Development Fund.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that repeated GEMS-A training causes lasting gait recovery. The study measured only immediate walking performance in one session and did not compare the powered assistance with wearing the unpowered device, so it cannot show long-term benefit or separate the effect of the robot’s weight.