Clinician-Focused Overview of Bionic Exoskeleton Use After Spinal Cord Injury

Anne E Palermo, Jennifer L Maher, Carsten Bach Baunsgaard, Mark S Nash

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

42 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) resulting in paralysis of lower limbs and trunk restricts daily upright activity, work capacity, and ambulation ability, putting persons with an injury at greater risk of developing a myriad of secondary medical issues. Time spent in the upright posture has been shown to decrease the risk of these complications in SCI. Unfortunately, the majority of ambulation assistive technologies are limited by inefficiencies such as high energy demand, lengthy donning and doffing time, and poor gait pattern precluding widespread use. These limitations spurred the development of bionic exoskeletons. These devices are currently being used in rehabilitation settings for gait retraining, and some have been approved for home use. This overview will address the current state of available devices and their utility.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)234-244
Number of pages11
JournalTopics in spinal cord injury rehabilitation
Volume23
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Keywords

  • Exercise Therapy/methods
  • Exoskeleton Device
  • Gait/physiology
  • Humans
  • Spinal Cord Injuries/rehabilitation
  • Walking

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