Effectiveness of robotic-assisted gait training in stroke rehabilitation: A retrospective matched control study.
Bryan Ping Ho Chung
PMID 30931034WHAT IT FOUND
Adding RAGT to traditional physiotherapy did not produce a larger gain in daily living independence than traditional physiotherapy alone.
It was associated with larger gains in walking, mobility, and balance.
Key findings
01Adding RAGT to traditional physiotherapy did not produce a significantly larger gain in daily living independence than traditional physiotherapy alone.
02Adding RAGT to traditional physiotherapy was associated with significantly larger gains in walking, mobility, and balance than traditional physiotherapy alone.
03Both groups improved on walking, mobility, balance, and daily living independence from admission to predischarge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This was a retrospective matched record review, not a randomised trial, so selection differences could explain the between-group gains. Only 14 patients received enough RAGT and 27 patients were matched controls, so the study is small and the groups were unequal. Patients had to have been independent outdoor walkers before stroke and tolerate passive standing for at least 15 minutes, so the results do not apply to more severely affected or medically unstable patients. Both groups received traditional physiotherapy, and treatment duration, intensity, and type varied by patient tolerance and therapist judgement, so the exact contribution of RAGT cannot be isolated. Outcome scores were retrieved from records and scored by case physiotherapists, and blinding of participants or assessors was not reported. The daily living independence measure gives a total score only, so it cannot show whether specific daily tasks changed.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared, and no financial or material support was received.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the larger walking, mobility, and balance gains as proof that RAGT alone caused them. The RAGT group received RAGT plus traditional physiotherapy, and the control group received traditional physiotherapy alone; this retrospective matched study cannot separate the robot's effect from usual care.