Issue 2-20, 2020

https://doi.org/10.38025/2078-1962-2020-96-2-68-78

Potential benefits and limitations of robotic exoskeleton usage in patients with spinal cord injury: a review

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1 Karjakin N.N., 1 Belova A.N., 1 Sushin V.O., 1 Sheiko G.E., 1 Israeljan Y.A., 1 Litvinova N.Y.

1 Privolzhsky Research Medical University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation


ABSTRACT

Restoration of motor functions in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) is a priority problem of this patient’s categorymedical rehabilitation. Despite the achievements of modern medicine, the level of movement restoration after SCI isoften insignificant, many patients stayed confined to a wheelchair. Secondary complications (osteoporosis, obesity,cardiovascular, respiratory, urogenital, trophic and other disorders) used to develop in the injured people as a result oflow physical activity, they aggravate the course of the main disease and complicate the process of medical rehabilitation.A hope for rehabilitation specialist and patients is associated with the appearance of robotic exoskeletons (RES), thatmight become an innovation means for improving the mobility of patients with SCI. The purpose of the review is toprovide information on the possible benefits and disadvantages of the use of RES in the rehabilitation of patients withSCI. This article discusses the general characteristics of modern exoskeletons and the conditions of their use for patientswith paralysis of the lower extremities. The article presents Information on the effectiveness and safety of the use ofexoskeleton devices in neurorehabilitation, as well as data on limitations and problems associated with exoskeletonuse in clinical practice. The results of meta-analyses and randomized studies on the potential benefits of the RES usageboth in everyday life and in rehabilitation of patients with SCI are presented. The influence of walking training in theexoskeleton on the degree of motor functions improvement, overall physical activity level and body weight in patientswith SCI is highlighted. The article draws attention to the unsolved problems and further perspectives of RES applicationin patients with SCI. It emphasizes the necessity for protocols standardization and large randomized comparative clinicaltrials organization with prolonged observational period of patients in order to determine exoskeletons usage potential.


KEYWORDS: neurorehabilitation, robotic devices, exoskeletons, spinal cord injury, invalid, paresis

FOR CITATION: Karjakin N.N., Belova A.N., Sushin V.O., Sheiko G.E., Israeljan Y.A., Litvinova N.Y Potential benefits and limitations of robotic exoskeleton usage in patients with spinal cord injury: a review. Bulletin of rehabilitation medicine. 2020; 96 (2): 68-78. https://doi.org/10.38025/2078-1962-2020-96-2-68-78


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