Rethinking the tools in the toolbox.
T George Hornby
PMID 35725474WHAT IT FOUND
No new patient outcomes are reported.
This is an opinion piece arguing that current robotic walking devices may not need further trials as studied.
What this paper is
This is a commentary responding to debate about robotic walking rehabilitation devices, including the Lokomat. It reviews prior trial findings and argues that further randomized trials of current devices may not be helpful, but it reports no new methods, participants, outcomes, or analysis. There is no finding here to change practice.
Declared interests
The supplied text lists funding from the Office of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as a new trial showing that robotic walking devices are ineffective or should be abandoned. It is an opinion based on previously published work, and it does not test a treatment in patients.