Clinical Practice Data of Robot-assisted Gait Therapy After Stroke: A Retrospective Study

Objective: Patients with stroke are often exposed to significant levels of disability resulting in long-term functional limitations. Robot-assisted gait therapy in stroke rehabilitation is a novel modality for improving walking ability and balance. In this retrospective study, we aimed to assess the outcomes of robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) in patients with stroke. Method: Forty-nine post-stroke patients (mean post-stroke duration 10.82±14.12 months; mean age 57.06±14.73 years; 34 males; 15 females), who underwent RAGT device plus therapeutic exercise (multiple robot-assisted therapy sessions; mean number of sessions 42.37±25.68), were included in this study. The patients’ pre- and post-therapy Brunnstrom lower extremity motor staging (Brunnstrom), functional ambulation scale (FAS), Ashworth spasticity scale (Ashworth), and Barthel index (BI) of activities of daily living scores were obtained from medical records and computerized database. Besides, speed and distance improvement were recorded for each patient by RAGT device. Results: Post-stroke patients experienced statistically significant gains in Brunnstrom, FAS, BI, RAGT device speed and distance outcomes when compared to baseline values (p