Mayumi Matsuda1, Nobuaki Iwasaki2, Yuki Mataki3, Hirotaka Mutsuzaki4, Kenichi Yoshikawa5, Kazushi Takahashi5, Keiko Enomoto5, Kumiko Sano5, Aoi Kubota5, Tomohiro Nakayama6, Junko Nakayama6, Haruka Ohguro6, Masafumi Mizukami7, Kazuhide Tomita8. 1. Department of Physical Therapy, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences Hospital, Japan; Graduate School of Health Science, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan. Electronic address: 45070069@ipu.ac.jp. 2. Department of Pediatrics, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences Hospital, Japan; Center for Medical Science, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan. 3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences Hospital, Japan. 4. Center for Medical Science, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences Hospital, Japan. 5. Department of Physical Therapy, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences Hospital, Japan. 6. Department of Pediatrics, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences Hospital, Japan. 7. Graduate School of Health Science, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan; Department of Physical Therapy, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan. 8. Department of Physical Therapy, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences Hospital, Japan; Graduate School of Health Science, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan; Department of Physical Therapy, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The Hybrid Assistive Limb® (HAL®, CYBERDYNE) is a wearable robot that provides assistance to a patient while they are walking, standing, and performing leg movements based on the wearer's intended movement. The effect of robot-assisted training using HAL® for cerebral palsy (CP) is unknown. Therefore, we assessed the effect of robot-assisted training using HAL® on patients with CP, and compared walking and gross motor abilities between pre-intervention and post-intervention. METHODS: Six subjects with CP were included (mean age: 16.8 years; range: 13-24 years; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II-IV: n = 1, 4, 1). Robot-assisted training using HAL® were performed 2-4 sessions per week, 20 min per session, within a 4 weeks period, 12 times in total. Outcome measures included gait speed, step length, cadence, single-leg support per gait cycle, hip and knee joint angle in stance, and swing phase per gait cycle, 6-minute walking distance (6 MD), physiological cost index (PCI), knee-extension strength, and Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM). RESULTS: There were significant increases in self-selected walking speed (SWS), cadence during SWS and maximum walking speed (MWS), single-leg support per gait cycle, hip joint angle in the swing phase, 6 MD, and GMFM. In contrast, gait speed during MWS, step length during SWS and MWS, hip and knee joint angle in the stance phase, knee joint angle in the swing phase, PCI, and knee-extension strength generally improved, but not significantly. CONCLUSION: Robot-assisted training using HAL® may improve walking and gross motor abilities of patients with CP.
PURPOSE: The Hybrid Assistive Limb® (HAL®, CYBERDYNE) is a wearable robot that provides assistance to a patient while they are walking, standing, and performing leg movements based on the wearer's intended movement. The effect of robot-assisted training using HAL® for cerebral palsy (CP) is unknown. Therefore, we assessed the effect of robot-assisted training using HAL® on patients with CP, and compared walking and gross motor abilities between pre-intervention and post-intervention. METHODS: Six subjects with CP were included (mean age: 16.8 years; range: 13-24 years; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II-IV: n = 1, 4, 1). Robot-assisted training using HAL® were performed 2-4 sessions per week, 20 min per session, within a 4 weeks period, 12 times in total. Outcome measures included gait speed, step length, cadence, single-leg support per gait cycle, hip and knee joint angle in stance, and swing phase per gait cycle, 6-minute walking distance (6 MD), physiological cost index (PCI), knee-extension strength, and Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM). RESULTS: There were significant increases in self-selected walking speed (SWS), cadence during SWS and maximum walking speed (MWS), single-leg support per gait cycle, hip joint angle in the swing phase, 6 MD, and GMFM. In contrast, gait speed during MWS, step length during SWS and MWS, hip and knee joint angle in the stance phase, knee joint angle in the swing phase, PCI, and knee-extension strength generally improved, but not significantly. CONCLUSION: Robot-assisted training using HAL® may improve walking and gross motor abilities of patients with CP.