Robotic body weight support enables safe stair negotiation in compliance with basic locomotor principles.
M Bannwart, E Rohland, C A Easthope and 2 others
PMID 31870393WHAT IT FOUND
Robotic body weight support up to 30% reduced leg muscle activity and forces while keeping stair walking patterns largely normal in 17 able-bodied volunteers.
During stair ascent at 40 to 50%, hip and knee motion decreased and the tibialis anterior muscle worked more.
Key findings
01Body weight support reduced peak myoelectric activity in all measured lower-limb muscles except the tibialis anterior.
02The tibialis anterior showed largely increased stance-phase activity at 40% and 50% body weight support.
03Vertical ground reaction forces were reduced with body weight support during stair ascent and descent.
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 done only in 17 able-bodied volunteers, so it does not show how people with neurological gait problems would move or benefit. The staircase was custom-made with four steps and a fixed step length set by the tread depth, so the findings may not transfer to every stair design. The system could not be tested down to 10% body weight support because of slow upward acceleration during ascent, leaving lower support levels unexamined. Surface electromyography was used, but muscle electrical activity cannot be directly converted into muscle force. The study measured movement and muscle activity in a laboratory, not falls, independence, stair training outcomes, or recovery over time.
Declared interests
No conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text. The article is listed as supported by non-U.S. government funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that body weight support stair training improves patient function or reduces falls. It tested 17 able-bodied volunteers on a custom staircase and measured movement, forces, and muscle activity, not clinical outcomes.