2023-05-30 ハーバード大学
◆これまでの研究では、実験室や臨床環境でのみ効果が確認されていましたが、新しいエクソスーツはコミュニティでの使用を目指して設計され、自宅や職場、近所での日常生活においても効果を発揮することが示されました。この革新的な技術は、脳卒中患者のリハビリテーションにおいて、アクセス向上、費用削減、より良いケアを提供する可能性があります。
<関連情報>
- https://seas.harvard.edu/news/2023/05/ankle-exosuit-community-walking-aims-give-post-stroke-wearers-more-independence
- https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.14998
脳卒中後4週間のエキソスーツ支援型コミュニティウォーキングプログラムの設計と評価 Design and evaluation of an independent 4-week, exosuit-assisted, post-stroke community walking program
Richard W. Nuckols, Chih-Kang Chang, Daekyum Kim, Asa Eckert-Erdheim, Dorothy Orzel, Lauren Baker, Teresa Baker, Nicholas C. Wendel, Brendan Quinlivan, Patrick Murphy, Jesse Grupper, Jacqueline Villalobos, Louis N. Awad, Terry D. Ellis, Conor J. Walsh
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Published: 30 May 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14998
Abstract
Chronic impairment in the paretic ankle following stroke often requires that individuals use compensatory patterns such as asymmetric propulsion to achieve effective walking speeds needed for community engagement. Ankle exosuit assistance can provide ankle biomechanical benefit in the lab, but such environments inherently limit the amount of practice available. Community walking studies without exosuits can provide massed practice and benefit walking speed but are limited in their ability to assist proper mechanics. In this study, we combined the positive aspects of community training with those of exosuit assistance. We developed and evaluated a community Robotic Exosuit Augmented Locomotion (cREAL) program. Four participants in the chronic stage of stroke independently used our community ankle exosuit for walking in the community 3–5 days/week for 4 weeks. We performed lab evaluations before and after the 4-week program. Two participants significantly improved their unassisted paretic propulsion by an average of 27% after the program and walked on average 4001 steps/day more in the week following the program. Despite the small number of participants, this study provides preliminary evidence for the potential of exosuits to augment gait training and rehabilitation in the community.
