Effect of exoskeleton-assisted Body Weight-Supported Treadmill Training on gait function for patients with chronic stroke: a scoping review.
Rieko Yamamoto, Shun Sasaki, Wataru Kuwahara and 2 others
PMID 36544163WHAT IT FOUND
Exoskeleton-assisted treadmill training improved walking in 10 of 11 studies, but it was not better than therapist-assisted training.
The robot's value appears to be reducing physical burden on therapists while maintaining similar gait gains, not adding superior efficacy.
Key findings
01Exoskeleton-assisted training was not more effective than therapist-assisted training; in one study, therapist-assisted training produced greater improvements in walking speed.
02Combining robot-assisted training with other therapies like electrical stimulation or brain stimulation showed greater gait improvements than robot training alone.
03The evidence is limited by small study sizes and inconsistent protocols, preventing clear conclusions on which specific robot or training dose works best.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review did not assess the quality or risk of bias of the included studies. Most included trials were small pilot studies with fewer than 30 participants, limiting the reliability of the findings. Intervention protocols varied significantly in speed, weight support, and session duration, making it difficult to compare results or recommend a specific 'best' protocol. The review excluded non-chronic stroke patients and other robotic device types (like end-effector systems), so findings do not apply to acute/subacute phases or all robot-assisted therapies.
Declared interests
The paper lists 'Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't' in its metadata but does not include a specific author conflict of interest statement or funding declaration in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the improvement seen in 10 of 11 studies as proof that the robot is effective. The improvements likely came from the body-weight support and treadmill training themselves, since the robot was not better than a therapist providing the same assistance.