Efficacy of robot-assisted gait training on lower extremity function in subacute stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Miao-Miao Hu, Shan Wang, Cai-Qin Wu and 4 others
PMID 39300491WHAT IT FOUND
Robot-assisted gait training beat conventional gait training on lower limb motor function, balance, walking ability, and endurance in subacute stroke patients, but did not improve walking speed.
Exoskeleton-type robots showed a speed advantage in a subgroup.
Key findings
01Robot-assisted gait training significantly improved FMA-LE, FAC, BBS, TUG, and 6MWT scores compared with conventional gait training in subacute stroke patients.
02Walking speed on the 10MWT did not reach significance overall (P = 0.08), but exoskeleton-type robots showed a significant speed advantage (MD 0.16 m/s) in subgroup analysis.
03Twenty-one of the 24 included studies were rated at some risk of bias by the Cochrane RoB2 tool, with only 3 at low risk.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Twenty-one of the 24 included studies were rated at some risk of bias by RoB2, with only 3 at low risk, which limits the robustness of the pooled conclusions. The specific training duration per week varied across the included trials, so the 4-week finding cannot be pinned to a precise weekly dose. No follow-up data were analysed, so it is unknown whether the benefits of robot training persist after the intervention ends. Heterogeneity in study populations, training content, and intensity across the included trials may have contributed to the mixed findings.
Declared interests
Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Shanghai Clinical Research Center for Rehabilitation Medicine, the Rehabilitation Medicine Research Center of Huadong Hospital, and Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the exoskeleton subgroup result as proof that robot training improves walking speed. The overall 10MWT result across all robot types was not significant (P = 0.08), and 21 of the 24 included studies were rated at some risk of bias.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →