Safety and immediate effect of gait training using a Hybrid Assistive Limb in patients with cerebral palsy.
Kazushi Takahashi, Hirotaka Mutsuzaki, Yuki Mataki and 8 others
PMID 30154591WHAT IT FOUND
In 14 patients with cerebral palsy who could walk, one 20-minute HAL session raised gait speed from 0.71 m/s to 0.83 m/s and step length from 0.44 m to 0.47 m.
No major adverse events occurred, but two minor adverse events were reported.
Key findings
01Eighteen of the 20 patients completed the HAL gait training.
02None of the 18 patients who performed HAL training experienced a major adverse event, but two patients had minor adverse events after training.
03In 14 patients, gait speed increased from 0.71 ± 0.35 m/s to 0.83 ± 0.45 m/s, and mean step length increased from 0.44 ± 0.12 m to 0.47 ± 0.13 m.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This was a pilot study with only 20 patients recruited and 14 evaluated for walking. The walking outcomes came from before and after comparisons in the same patients, not a control group. HAL training was given only once, and outcomes were measured only immediately after training, so it says nothing about lasting benefit or repeated sessions. Four patients who could not walk without assistance were excluded, so the walking results do not apply to more impaired patients. Two patients could not fit the device because they were not tall enough, and the adult-sized HAL was hard to fit for children and patients with severe deformities. Minor adverse events occurred in two patients, including fatigue and knee pain.
Declared interests
This work was supported by Grant-in-Aid for Project Research (1655) from Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that HAL improves walking in all patients with cerebral palsy. The walking gains came from 14 patients who could walk, after one session, with no control group, and four patients who could not walk without assistance were excluded.