Effect of Task-Oriented Gait Training with User-Intent Powered Gait Orthosis II (UPGO II) on Balance and Walking Function in a Person with Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Case Report

• Main Authors: Tzu-Yu Lin, 林孜伃
• Other Authors: Liang-Wey Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/ph3s5p

碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 醫學工程學研究所 === 106 === BACKGROUND: Powered gait orthoses (PGOs), or called exoskeletons, were initially developed in the 1970s. Powered gait orthoses make use of some actuators positioned adjacent to the anatomical hips, knees or ankles for the SCI patients to walk more efficiently. User-Intent Powered Gait Orthosis II (UPGO II) is a powered gait orthosis which uses stance-controlled knee-ankle-foot orthoses to replace knee and ankle powers, and only 2 actuators on the hips. The purpose was to observe the effect on walking function of a person with the chronic SCI after task-oriented gait training with UPGO II. METHODS: A 57-year-old male with chronic spinal cord injury who could walk with forearm crutches and canes but no need of UPGO was involved in the study. The subject had a 12-session task-oriented gait training with UPGO II. 10-meter walking tests were tested after 6th-session and 12th-session. The Berg Balance Scale manual muscle test was re-tested after 12-session training. RESULTS: The walking velocity, HRR% and RPE scores of walking with forearm crutches improved after 6 sessions of training. The participant even can walk with walking aids which are more difficult to maintain balance than using forearm crutches. After 12 sessions of training, walking velocity improved from 0.292 m/s to 0.503 m/s, and Berg Balance Scale improved from 27 scores to 31 scores. He can walk with 2 canes and even try to finish a 10-meter walking with a cane after 12 sessions of training. Furthermore, slight improvement in muscle power was found on left lower extremity. No adverse events occurred during the case study. CONCLUSION: 12 sessions of task-oriented walking training with UPGO II improves the participant’s walking velocity, balance, walking function and muscle power. UPGO II may be a new option for helping therapists to carry out their program. Task-oriented walking training combined with UPGO II may be another new training method for chronic incomplete SCI patients who are able to walk on level-ground with aids, but poor at balance. However, the further researches are required in the future.