Analysis of Kinetic Signal Undergoing Gait Training with the Lokomat Exoskeleton after Complete Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Patients suffering from spinal cord injuries predominantly depend on exoskeleton robots for assistance in gait retraining. This dependency intensifies for individuals with complete spinal cord injuries.Utilizing a Lokomat exoskeleton, the research analyzed time-domain and frequency-domain signal characteristics of walking tasks in eight spinal cord injury patients (ASIA A grade) and compared them with 12 healthy individuals. The study introduced time–frequency analysis and torque difference of gait period (TDGP) to evaluate patient performance, revealing significant differences in both knee and hip joint movements. High- and low-frequency wavelet coefficients showed considerable distinctions between the spinal cord injury group and the control group, demonstrating the potential of these methods in assessing rehabilitation progress. The results suggest that time–frequency analysis and TDGP can effectively differentiate between the rehabilitation outcomes of patients with complete spinal cord injuries and healthy subjects, offering new insights into the assessment of exoskeleton-assisted walking rehabilitation.