Robot-Applied Resistance Augments the Effects of Body Weight-Supported Treadmill Training on Stepping and Synaptic Plasticity in a Rodent Model of Spinal Cord Injury.
Erika Hinahon, Christina Estrada, Lin Tong and 2 others
PMID 28741434WHAT IT FOUND
In rats with spinal cord injury, adding horizontal robot resistance increased step length, and vertical resistance increased step height and velocity.
Neither restored normal step cycle number or timing, and the study did not test overground walking.
Key findings
01Adding horizontal resistance during body weight supported treadmill training increased average step length by 24% in rats, and this change was seen in every rat in that group.
02Adding vertical resistance increased step height by 41% and produced velocity increases of 36% to 50%, while the other groups did not show significant velocity changes.
03No group recovered a normal number of step cycles or a normal cycle period.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was in rats with spinal cord contusion, so it does not show what happens in patients with spinal cord injury. The researchers did not assess overground walking, so treadmill stepping changes may not transfer to functional walking. Group sizes were unequal after rats were removed for health reasons (UT=8, ST=9, HT=9, VT=8). No group recovered normal step cycle number or normal cycle period, and step failures were observed during testing. Synaptophysin expression did not follow the expected pattern: untrained rats had higher ventral horn expression than standard trained rats. White matter sparing was assessed only in a subset (n=3/group), so differences in lesion severity cannot be fully ruled out.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the step length, step height, or velocity gains as proof that robot resistance improves walking in patients with spinal cord injury. The study was in rats, did not test overground walking, and did not restore normal step cycle number or timing.