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Effects of robotic-assisted gait training on the central vascular health of individuals with spinal cord injury: A pilot study.

ABSTRACT: Objective: To investigate the effect of a short-term, robotic-assisted (exoskeleton) gait training (RGT) program on central and peripheral hemodynamic measures in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI).Design: Parallel group, non-randomized trial with before (baseline) and after (follow-up) assessments.Setting: Single-center, community-based neuro-physiotherapy practice.Participants: Twelve individuals with SCI (ASI A to C).Interventions: Participants completed either a 5-day RGT program plus physiotherapy (n = 6), or a usual care physiotherapy only program (control group; n = 6). The RGT program consisted of daily 60-min physiotherapy and 90-min of RGT. Outcome measures were measured before and after the rehabilitation program.Main outcome measure(s): The primary outcome measure was arterial wave reflection (Augmentation index [AIx]), with central and peripheral blood pressures also reported. Data are presented as mean (SD) and effect sizes (partial eta squared; η² _p).Results: There was a significant reduction in AIx (30 ± 18-21 ± 15%; η² _p=0.75) and mean arterial pressure (89 ± 11-82 ± 10 mmHg; η² _p=0.47) following completion of the RGT program (both P < 0.05). There were no changes in these measures for the control group. Although not significantly different, medium to large effects were observed in favor of RGT for all other central and peripheral measures (η² _p=0.06-0.21), except for heart rate and pulse pressure (η² _p<0.04).Conclusions: RGT using an exoskeleton is a promising therapy for improving cardiovascular health in patients with SCI. Specifically, this study indicates decreased arterial wave reflection and supports the need for larger randomized controlled trials.Trial Registration: Clinical trials Registry (https://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT03611803).

SUBMITTER: Faulkner J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7952073 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:IntroductionRobotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) has been reported to be effective in rehabilitating patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, studies on RAGT showed different results due to a varied number of samples. Thus, summarising studies based on robotic-related factors is critical for the accurate estimation of the effects of RAGT on SCI. This work aims to search for strong evidence showing that using RAGT is effective in treating SCI and analyse the deficiencies of current studies.Methods and analysisThe following publication databases were electronically searched in December 2022 without restrictions on publication year: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Various combinations of keywords, including 'motor disorders', 'robotics', 'robotic-assisted gait training', 'Spinal Cord Injuries', 'SCI' and 'gait analysis' were used as search terms. All articles on randomised controlled trials (excluding retrospective trials) using RAGT to treat SCI that were published in English and Chinese and met the inclusion criteria were included. Outcomes included motor function, and gait parameters included those assessed by using the instrumented gait assessment, the Berg Balance Scale, the 10-m walk speed test, the 6-min walk endurance test, the functional ambulation category scale, the Walking index of SCI and the American Spinal Injury Association assessment scale. Research selection, data extraction and quality assessment were conducted independently by two reviewers to ensure that all relevant studies were free from personal bias. In addition, the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Review Manager V.5.3 software was used to produce deviation risk maps and perform paired meta-analyses.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not required for systematic reviews and network meta-analyses. The results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal or presented at a conference.Prospero registration numberCRD42022319555.

Project description:(1) Background. High-level spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts trunk control, leading to an impaired performance of upright postural tasks in sitting and standing. We previously showed that a novel robotic postural stand training with spinal cord epidural stimulation targeted at facilitating standing (Stand-scES) largely improved standing trunk control in individuals with high-level motor complete SCI. Here, we aimed at assessing the effects of robotic postural stand training with Stand-scES on sitting postural control in the same population. (2) Methods. Individuals with cervical (n = 5) or high-thoracic (n = 1) motor complete SCI underwent approximately 80 sessions (1 h/day; 5 days/week) of robotic postural stand training with Stand-scES, which was performed with free hands (i.e., without using handlebars) and included periods of standing with steady trunk control, self-initiated trunk and arm movements, and trunk perturbations. Sitting postural control was assessed on a standard therapy mat, with and without scES targeted at facilitating sitting (Sit-scES), before and after robotic postural stand training. Independent sit time and trunk center of mass (CM) displacement were assessed during a 5 min time window to evaluate steady sitting control. Self-initiated antero-posterior and medial-lateral trunk movements were also attempted from a sitting position, with the goal of covering the largest distance in the respective cardinal directions. Finally, the four Neuromuscular Recovery Scale items focused on sitting trunk control (Sit, Sit-up, Trunk extension in sitting, Reverse sit-up) were assessed. (3) Results. In summary, neither statistically significant differences nor large Effect Size were promoted by robotic postural stand training for the sitting outcomes considered for analysis. (4) Conclusions. The findings of the present study, together with previous observations, may suggest that robotic postural stand training with Stand-scES promoted trunk motor learning that was posture- and/or task-specific and, by itself, was not sufficient to significantly impact sitting postural control.

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Effects of robotic-assisted gait training on the central vascular health of individuals with spinal cord injury: A pilot study.

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