One-leg robotic-assisted gait training efficiently improves gait independence for acute stroke hemiplegic patients: A prospective pilot study.

ABSTRACT:Welwalk is a one-leg robotic-assisted gait system for stroke hemiplegic patients. This study examined the feasibility and efficacy of gait training using Welwalk (Welwalk training) for hemiplegic patients in the early phase after stroke onset, via cooperation between acute-care and rehabilitation hospitals. Seven acute stroke patients (mean number of days from onset: 7.9) with severe lower extremity paralysis participated. Patients underwent Welwalk training for 40 minutes per day, 5 days per week in an acute-care hospital then 7 days per week in a rehabilitation hospital with a seamless transition. Functional Independence Measure scores for walking (FIM-walk) were assessed weekly. The endpoint was reaching FIM-walk of 5 (supervision level). The primary outcome was improvement efficiency of FIM-walk, which was the increase in FIM-walk divided by the number of weeks required. FIM-walk for all patients improved from 1.1 to 5 (P = 0.01, r = 0.96). The mean number of weeks to achieve FIM-walk of 5 was 5 weeks, and the improvement efficiency of FIM-walk had a mean value of 0.9. No adverse events were reported during Welwalk training. Hemiparetic patients' gait independence may be safely and rapidly improved by starting Welwalk training in the early phase after stroke onset.