A randomized controlled pilot study of the efficacy of lower limb rehabilitation robot on the improvement of lower limb walking function in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury

Abstract

Abstract Objective: The aim of this article was to explore the efficacy of the lower limb rehabilitation robot on the improvement of lower limb walking function in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury through objective and subjective indicators. Methods: A total of 60 patients with incomplete spinal cord injury who were hospitalized in our hospital from June 2020 to June 2021 were recruited, and they were divided into experimental and control groups randomly. The experimental group underwent lower limb rehabilitation robot-assisted walking function training, while the control group underwent conventional walking function training. After 12 weeks of training, the patients in both groups were evaluated by electromyography of the lower limbs, 10-meter walking time (10MWT), Holden walking function assessment, ASIA Lower Limb Movement Score(LEMS) and Berg balance function score. Results: The patients in the two groups were significantly improved after treatment in terms of the surface electromyography of the lower limbs, 10-meter walking time (10MWT), ASIA Lower Limb Movement Score(LEMS) and Berg balance function score. The differences in treatment outcomes between the two groups were statistically significant. The efficacy of the experimental group was better than that of the control group in terms of the surface electromyography of the lower limbs, 10-meter walking time (10MWT), ASIA Lower Limb Movement Score(LEMS) and Berg balance function score. The difference is also of statistical significance (P<0.05). However, in Holden walking function assessment, there was no significant difference between the two groups before and after treatment, or between the two groups after treatment (P>0.05). Conclusion: The current results suggest lower limb rehabilitation robot assisted walking function training and conventional walking function training both can improve lower limb walking function in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury, and there are significant differences after treatment It was found that lower limb rehabilitation robot-assisted walking function training can significantly better improve the walking function of lower limbs in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury than the conventional walking function training and that it has incomparable superiority，However, there was no significant improvement in Holden's walking function score for either lower limb rehabilitation robot-assisted walking training or conventional walking function training, which further demonstrates that both have limitations in improving the efficacy of lower limb walking function in patients.