MECHANICAL GAIT TRAINING IN NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS: A REVIEW OF EVIDENCES

Abstract

Robotic technologies are becoming more prevalent for treating neurological conditions in clinical settings. We conducted a literature search of original articles to identify all studies that examined the use of robotic devices for restoring walking function in adults with neurological disorders. A search was conducted in MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Google Scholar, CINAHL and EBSCO host from 2005 to 2014. Keywords used were gait, locomotor training, multiple sclerosis, neurological disorders, rehabilitation, robotics, spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury and walking. This review analyzed 27 articles that examined the effects of locomotor training with robotic assistance in patients following stroke, spinal cord injury (SCI), multiple sclerosis (MS), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and Parkinson disease (PD). This review supports that locomotor training with robotic assistance is beneficial for improving walking function in individuals following a stroke and SCI. Gait speed and endurance were not found to be significantly different among patients with motor incomplete SCI after a variety of locomotor training approaches. Limited evidence demonstrates that locomotor training with robotic assistance is beneficial in populations of patients with MS, TBI, or PD. We discuss clini­cal implications and decision making in the area of gait reha­bilitation for neurological dysfunction.