Cerebral palsy (CP) is a motor dysfunction due to a nonprogressive neurological brain disorder in early development that leads to motor deficits, particularly involving gait and posture. CP is the most common child onset neuromotor disability, affecting over 17 million people worldwide. Most children with CP walk with abnormal gait patterns such as equinus or crouch gait, leading to secondary impairments and low quality of life. The most common treatments for crouch gait include surgery, botulinum toxin injections, physical therapy/strengthening, and orthotic interventions. Orthopaedic surgeries such as hamstring lengthening are advocated when hamstring muscles become excessively short; however, repeat lengthening is contraindicated. Recently, robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) has been used as a repetitive and task-specific therapy for children with CP. Exoskeleton intended to treat crouch gait by providing extension torque at the knee joint and on its ability to increase knee extension during over-ground walking in children with CP. Providing a more upright posture and the accompanying favourable reduction in the knee extensor moment over extended periods of time could be critical for stopping or slowing the progression of crouch through adolescence and early adulthood. The powered exoskeleton significantly altered lower extremity kinematics and reduced the crouch gait. The overall knee range of motion for the entire gait cycle was significantly increased during walking with the powered exoskeleton, resulting in a closer trajectory to that of normal waking. With technology playing an increasing role in health care, there is potential for robot-assisted gait training to play a role in the rehabilitation of people impacted by CP and other neurological conditions. Most studies have identified an emerging body of evidence suggesting that robot-assisted gait training could improve gait in individuals with CP with minimal adverse effects and over long-term use.
Key words: Robot-Assisted Gait Training, Cerebral Palsy, driven gait orthoses, partial body-weight supported treadmill training
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