Investigation of the Rehabilitation Intervention Effect of a Robotic Ankle Foot Orthosis for Cerebrovascular Hemiplegia Patients

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercises using a robotic ankle foot orthosis (R-AFO) for recovering hemiplegia patients. [Participants and Methods] The subjects were 24 cerebrovascular hemiplegia patients. The intervention period was 10 days. Evaluation was performed before and after the intervention. The R-AFO group performed 60 minutes of regular physical therapy practice and 20 minutes of practice using the R-AFO, a total of 80 minutes, and the control group performed 80 minutes of regular physical therapy practice. [Results] The items showing significant differences between the groups were walking speed, unilateral support time on the paralyzed side, left-right symmetry rate of unilateral support time, and the Functional Independence Measure. [Conclusion] The results of repeated gait training while wearing the R-AFO suggest the possibility of improving symmetry of gait by increasing the proportion of time spent supporting one leg on the paralyzed side.