A preliminary study on the effects of long-term robot suit exercise training on gait function and quality of life in patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy

Abstract

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) progressively impairs gait function, resulting in the need for patients to use a wheelchair approximately 20 years after onset. No reports have investigated the effects of long-term exercise training using the Hybrid Assisted Limb (HAL) in patients with multiple SBMA. This study investigated the effects of long-term exercise training using HAL in patients with SBMA and its effects on the quality of life (QoL). Six courses of HAL treatment were administered to three males with SBMA, and leuprorelin was administered to each patient. Each course had a 4–5 week duration, during which the treatment was performed nine times, with a rest period of at least 2 months between each course. A 2-minute walk test (2MWT) and a 10-m walk test (10MWT) were performed to measure gait ability, and a blood test to measure the serum creatine kinase (CK) and creatinine (CRE) levels was performed before and after each course of treatment. We evaluated QoL using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).The average 2MWT distance improved over 2 years (p = 0.038), and the 10MWT showed neither improvement nor decline. No increase or decrease in serum CK or CRE levels was observed. There were no significant changes in the SF-36 physical, mental, or social summary scores.In combination with leuprorelin therapy, robot-assisted training using HAL maintained gait ability and QoL in patients with SBMA for 2 years.