Effects of robot-assisted gait training on the lower limb motor functions of hemiplegic stroke patients

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effects of robot-assisted gait training on the lower limb motor functions of in hemiplegic stroke patients. Methods Forty stroke patients with hemiplegia were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. Both groups were treated with routine rehabilitation therapies for 60 min daily in 6 weeks. The patients in the treatment group were given robot-assisted gait training for 30 min daily for 6 weeks. The lower limb part of Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA), the Ueda Satoshi standardized hemiplegic function scale and the functional ambulation categories (FAC) were used to evaluate the lower limb motor function before and after the six-weeks of therapies. Results There were no significant difference between the two groups before treatment with regard to all the three assessment measurements. After 6 weeks of treatment, both groups significantly improved in terms of the scores with FMA, the grade of Ueda Satoshi standardized hemiplegic function scale and the FAC (P<0.05). But the treatment group had significantly greater improvement than the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions The robot-assisted gait training can supplement the routine rehabilitation therapies in improving lower limb motor function in stroke patients. Key words: Robot-assisted gait training; Stroke; Hemiplegia; Lower limb motor functions