Recovery of walking ability using a robotic device.

The primary objective of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of Locomat training on locomotor performance, participation and quality of life. The study consisted of a randomised clinical trial for stroke patients and further aimed to assess the time course of effects, not only during the training period, but also during follow-up after cessation of the training. Patients, aged from 18 yrs, with left or right hemiparesis as a result of first ever-stroke who were incapable of walking unsupervised were assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. All patients (experimental as well as control) received similar standard occupational and physical therapy care, except for the gait training module which is part of the rehabilitation program. The experimental group received a specific (gait) training program consisting of 2 weekly (1 hour per training) robot-assisted treadmill training sessions with a Lokomat robotic gait orthosis aimed at increasing duration of walking in the device to 45 minutes per session, whereas the control group received conventional physical therapy. Outcome measures for functional ability were walking speed, time to perform "get-up-and-go" test; score at Berg Balance Scale; Functional Ambulation Categories-score; Rivermead Mobility Index; and Brunnstrom Fugl-Meyer. Scores at the questionnaires SIS and SF-36 were used for assessment of quality of life and scores at the SIP-68 were used for assessment of social participation. Study parameters were assessed at baseline, after intervention (8 weeks), after 24 weeks and after 36 weeks.

The general hypothesis of the study is that robot-assisted treadmill training with will lead to greater improvements of functional outcome measures of gait performance, social participation and quality of life in stroke patients than the regular care.

1. Pre-intervention (wk 1);

2. Post-intervention (wk 10);

3. 24 wks. after start intervention (wk 24);

4. 36 wks. after start intervention (wk 36).

8 weeks: 3.5 hours/week, duration matched.



Robot assisted training group: Robot asssited treadmill training using the Lokomat combined with convention physical therapy.



Control group: Conventional physical therapy.