Automatized, Standardized, and Patient-Tailored Progressive Walking-Adaptability Training: A Proof-of-Concept Study.
Celine Timmermans, Melvyn Roerdink, Thomas W J Janssen and 2 others
PMID 31087062WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with gait or balance deficits completed 5 weeks of automated, patient-tailored treadmill training.
Walking speed, balance, and confidence improved immediately and were retained 6 weeks later. No control group was used, so this shows the training is feasible and acceptable, not that it works better than usual care.
Key findings
01The automated protocol successfully tailored training to individual patients, with large variations in speed and difficulty between participants and minimal therapist overrides.
02Patients reported the training was motivating and useful, with improvements in physical fitness and walking confidence, and only mild discomfort.
03Walking speed, balance, and confidence scores improved after training and remained improved 6 weeks later.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This was a single-group pilot study with no control group, so it is impossible to know if the improvements were due to the specific C-Gait protocol or simply the effect of receiving any gait training. The sample size was small (28 patients in the training group), and 2 participants dropped out due to stress or obligations. The study used a custom-made evaluation questionnaire for acceptability, which has not been validated. The primary goal was feasibility and acceptability, not efficacy, so the findings cannot confirm that the training is superior to conventional methods.
Declared interests
Funded by an MKB-innovatie stimulering grant of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl). The funding source had no influence on the study design, analysis, or interpretation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this automated training is more effective than conventional gait therapy. The study had no control group, so the observed improvements cannot be separated from the effects of standard physical therapy or natural recovery.