scholarly journals The physiological cost index of walking with mechanical and powered gait orthosis in patients with spinal cord injury

Spinal Cord ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 356-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Arazpour ◽  
M A Bani ◽  
S W Hutchins ◽  
R K Jones
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Cost Index ◽  
Physiological Cost ◽  
Powered Gait Orthosis ◽  
Cord Injury

The effect of trunk extension on physiological cost index in spinal cord injury patients when using the advanced reciprocating gait orthosis: A pilot study

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 696-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mokhtar Arazpour ◽  
Mohammad Samadian ◽  
Mahmood Bahramizadeh ◽  
Monireh Ahmadi Bani ◽  
Masoud Gharib ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Walking Speed ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Cost Index ◽  
Physiological Cost ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Trunk Extension

Background:People with spinal cord injury walk with a flexed trunk when using reciprocating gait orthoses for walking. Reduction in trunk flexion during ambulation has been shown to improve gait parameters for reciprocating gait orthosis users.Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate the effect on energy expenditure when spinal cord injury patients ambulate with an advanced reciprocating gait orthosis while wearing a thoracolumbosacral orthosis to provide trunk extension.Study design:Quasi experimental study.Methods:Four patients with spinal cord injury were fitted with an advanced reciprocating gait orthosis after completing a specific gait training program. Patients walked along a flat walkway using the advanced reciprocating gait orthosis as a control condition and also while additionally wearing a thoracolumbosacral orthosis at their self-selected walking speed. A stopwatch and a polar heart rate monitor were used to measure walking speed and heart rate.Results:Walking speed, the distance walked, and the physiological cost index all improved when walking with the advanced reciprocating gait orthosis/thoracolumbosacral orthosis test condition compared to walking with no thoracolumbosacral orthosis in situ.Conclusion:Spinal cord injury patients can improve their walking speed, walking distance, and physiological cost index when wearing a thoracolumbosacral orthosis in conjunction with an advanced reciprocating gait orthosis, which may be attributed to the trunk extension provided by the thoracolumbosacral orthosis.Clinical relevanceIt is concluded that wearing thoracolumbosacral orthosis in association with an advanced reciprocating gait orthosis could be an effective alternative in rehabilitation for thoracic level of paraplegic patients to promote their health and well-being.

Effect of powered gait orthosis on walking in individuals with paraplegia

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 261-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mokhtar Arazpour ◽  
Monireh Ahmadi Bani ◽  
Reza Vahab Kashani ◽  
Farhad Tabatabai Ghomshe ◽  
Mohammad Ebrahim Mousavi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Knee Joint ◽  
Step Length ◽  
Joint Kinematics ◽  
Knee Joints ◽  
Powered Gait Orthosis ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Knee Joint Kinematics ◽  
Spatial Parameters

Background:The important purpose of a powered gait orthosis is to provide active joint movement for patients with spinal cord injury.Objectives:The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of a powered gait orthosis on the kinematics and temporal–spatial parameters in paraplegics with spinal cord injury.Study Design:Quasi-experimental.Methods:Four spinal cord injury individuals experienced gait training with a powered gait orthosis for a minimum of 6 weeks prior to participating in the following walking trials: walking with an isocentric reciprocating gait orthosis and walking with both separate and synchronized movements with actuated orthotic hip and knee joints in a powered gait orthosis. Specific parameters were calculated and compared for each of the test conditions.Results:Using separate and synchronized actuated movement of the hip and knee joints in the powered gait orthosis increased gait speed and step length and reduced lateral and vertical compensatory motions when compared to the isocentric reciprocating gait orthosis, but there were no significant differences in these parameters. Using the new powered gait orthosis improved knee and hip joint kinematics.Conclusions:The powered gait orthosis increased speed and step length as well as hip and knee joint kinematics and reduced the vertical and lateral compensatory motions compared to an isocentric reciprocating gait orthosis in spinal cord injury patients.Clinical relevanceThis new powered gait orthosis has the potential to improve hip and knee joint kinematics, the temporal–spatial parameters of gait in spinal cord injury patients walking.

scholarly journals Comparison of gait between healthy participants and persons with spinal cord injury when using a powered gait orthosis-a pilot study

Spinal Cord ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Arazpour ◽  
S R Mehrpour ◽  
M A Bani ◽  
S W Hutchins ◽  
M Bahramizadeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Powered Gait Orthosis ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Healthy Participants

scholarly journals Effects of A 12-Week Rebound Therapy Exercise on Energy Consumption and Body Mass Index in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-206
Author(s):  
Morteza Sadeghi ◽  
◽  
Gholam Ali Ghasemi ◽  
Mohammad Taghi Karimi ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cost Index ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Experimental Group

Introduction: Energy Consumption (EC) and Body Mass Index (BMI) are the major complications associated with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), which can be improved by exercise rehabilitation. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of using rebound therapy (exercise on a trampoline) on EC and BMI in individuals with SCI. Materials and Methods: Sixteen individuals with SCI (ASIA classification: A=6, B=6, C=2, D=2) were selected and randomly divided into two groups of experimental (rebound exercise) and control. The experimental group performed the exercise program by a modified trampoline for 12 weeks (10-30 minutes; 3 sessions a week). EC was measured by the Physiological Cost Index (PCI) and BMI was calculated by standard formula before and after the exercise intervention. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed by Repeated-Measures Analysis of Variance (RM-ANOVA) in SPSS. Results: The results of RM-ANOVA revealed significant interaction in both criteria (P<0.01). In other words, the experimental group changes were substantial, compared to that of the control group. Conclusion: The collected results indicated that rebound therapy could, in effect, improve the SCI individuals’ EC and BMI. Furthermore, it was suggested that rebound exercise can be a useful sports rehabilitation method for patients with SCI.

scholarly journals Design and simulation of a new powered gait orthosis for paraplegic patients

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mokhtar Arazpour ◽  
Ahmad Chitsazan ◽  
Stephen W Hutchins ◽  
Farhad Tabatabai Ghomshe ◽  
Mohammad Ebrahim Mousavi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Weight Bearing ◽  
Knee Motion ◽  
Powered Gait Orthosis ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Good Range ◽  
Flexion And Extension

Background and Aim: This article describes the development and testing of a new powered gait orthosis to potentially assist spinal cord injury patients to walk by producing synchronized hip and knee joint movements.Technique: The first evaluation of the orthosis was performed without users, and was followed by evaluation of the orthosis performance using three healthy subjects to test the structure under weight-bearing conditions. The orthosis was primarily evaluated to ascertain its ability to generate appropriate hip and knee motion during walking. The walking experiments replicated the flexion and extension of both the hip and knee produced by the actuators which had previously been demonstrated during the initial computer simulations.Discussion: The results suggest that this new orthosis could be used to assist paraplegic subjects who have adequate ranges of motion and also with weakness or reduced tone to ambulate, and may also be suitable for other subjects with impaired lower limb function (e.g. stroke, poliomyelitis, myelomeningocele and traumatic brain injury provided they do not have increased tone or movement disorders.Clinical relevanceThe new powered gait orthosis can provide walking assistance for patients with a spinal cord injury who have a good range of motion at the hip and knee and who also have weakness or reduced tone.

The Physiological Cost Index of Walking with an Isocentric Reciprocating Gait Orthosis Among Patients with T12–L1Spinal Cord Injury

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron K. L. Leung ◽  
Admond F. Y. Wong ◽  
Eunice C. W. Wong ◽  
Stephen W. Hutchins
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Walking Speed ◽  
Cost Index ◽  
Spinal Cord Lesions ◽  
Heart Rate Monitor ◽  
Physiological Cost ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Stop Watch ◽  
Ankle Foot Orthoses

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the Physiological Cost Index of walking with a reciprocating gait orthosis to that of walking with bilateral knee-ankle-foot orthoses (KAFOs) by subjects with paraplegia resulting from T12 – L1spinal cord lesions.Methodology: Six chronic paraplegic subjects who had T12 – L1spinal cord lesions and who previously wore bilateral KAFOs were recruited. Each subject was fitted with an isocentric reciprocating gait orthosis (IRGO) and received a standardized training program. Subjects were then asked to walk using the two orthotic devices along a 40 m rectangular pathway at a speed that was comfortable for them. The walking speed was measured using a stop watch, and a Polar Heart Rate Monitor was used to measure the heart rate of the subjects. The Physiological Cost Index (PCI) was calculated for comparison.Results: Ambulation using the IRGO (10.46 +/− 2.00 m/min) was significantly faster ( p = 0.009) than ambulation using the bilateral KAFOs (5.51 +/− 4.30 m/min). The PCI demonstrated when walking with the IRGO (2.85 +/− 0.77 beats/m) was significantly lower ( p = 0.0306) than that of the bilateral KAFOs (6.77 +/− 3.28 beats/m).Conclusion: Paraplegic patients with T12 – L1spinal cord lesions walk faster and more efficiently using the isocentric reciprocating gait orthosis as compared to using the bilateral KAFOs.

Evaluation of a novel powered gait orthosis for walking by a spinal cord injury patient

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mokhtar Arazpour ◽  
Ahmad Chitsazan ◽  
Stephen W Hutchins ◽  
Mohammad Ebrahim Mousavi ◽  
Esmaeil Ebrahimi Takamjani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury Patient ◽  
Extensive Study ◽  
Knee Joints ◽  
Powered Gait Orthosis ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Flexion And Extension

Background: The aim of this case study was to analyze the effect on gait parameters of a new design of powered gait orthosis which applied synchronized motions to both the hip and knee joints when utilized for walking by a spinal cord injury (SCI) patient.Case Description and Methods: Two orthoses were evaluated while worn by an incomplete SCI subject. Gait evaluation was performed when walking with an isocentric reciprocating gait orthosis (IRGO) and compared to that demonstrated by a newly developed powered version. This new orthosis was based on the IRGO superstructure but incorporated powered hip and knee joints using electrically motorized actuators.Findings and Outcomes: These gait parameters were improved when compared to standard IRGO and initial testing with the orthosis with only the hip or the knee joints activated in isolation. Maximum hip flexion and extension angles, as well as the maximum knee flexion and extension angles all increased when walking with the powered RGO compared to the IRGO.Conclusions: Gait evaluation of this newly developed orthosis showed improvement in measured parameters when compared to walking with an IRGO.Clinical relevanceThis case study gave the authors confidence to extend the research to a more extensive study with a group of SCI patients.

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