Robot-assisted gait training: more randomized controlled trials are needed! Or maybe not?
Rob Labruyère
PMID 35676742WHAT IT FOUND
Robot-assisted gait training often fails to show superiority because studies compare poorly customized device settings to conventional therapy.
The author argues we should stop running more large trials until we understand how to optimally adjust parameters like speed and support for individual patients.
What this paper is
This is an editorial commentary discussing the limitations of randomized controlled trials for evaluating robot-assisted gait training. It argues that current research focuses on comparing devices to conventional therapy rather than optimizing how therapists use the device settings. It does not report new patient data, outcomes, or a systematic review of evidence, so there are no clinical findings to act on.
Declared interests
Funded by the Olga Mayenfisch Stiftung and the J&K Wonderland Foundation, Switzerland.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that robot-assisted gait training is ineffective. The paper is an opinion piece arguing that current research methods are flawed because they do not account for how therapists configure the device, not that the technology itself does not work.