Walking with an exoskeleton
The exoskeleton allowed paralyzed patients to stand and even walk
The results were presented on September 3 at a meeting of experts of the Academy for the Study of Spinal Cord Injury in Las Vegas. The tests were led by Dr. Gail Forrest, head of research in the field of mobility and engineering. She is involved in the development of techniques for active locomotor therapy. Their main goal is to restore mobility of patients with impaired motor functions and reduce the risk of side effects and complications.
The Ekso Bionics exoskeleton on a movable aluminum frame is light in weight and easy to handle. The user securely secures it with fasteners on the ankles, shins, hips, pelvis and chest. It turns out to be a kind of alternative to a wheelchair, only much more comfortable. The fasteners are arranged in such a way that the patient's weight is distributed as evenly as possible. This reduces the load on each drive separately, which ensures a higher power of the exoskeleton with minimal energy costs.
Clinical trials of Ekso began in 2011, when a team of researchers led by Dr. Forrest received an updated version of the exoskeleton from Ekso Bionics. Scientists observed not only how paralyzed patients stand or move using Ekso, but also analyzed the effect these actions have on their muscles, heart and lungs.
The researchers needed to make sure that there were no long—term complications when using the exoskeleton - cardiovascular diseases, loss of muscle and bone mass, formation of pressure sores, chronic pain and uncontrolled urination.
The clinical trial involved 13 patients: 12 with paraplegia (paralysis of both upper or both lower limbs) and 1 with tetraplegia (paralysis of four limbs). All paralysis occurred as a result of spinal cord injury. Prior to that, Ekso had shown good results in restoring the mobility of patients who had suffered paralysis due to neuromuscular diseases, but not as a result of injury. The results of the clinical trial showed that even patients with spinal cord injuries can learn to walk and stand with Ekso, only they will need more time to learn, about 30 workouts. After that, patients have no problems with maintaining balance and an acceptable speed of movement. At the same time, the researchers did not find any significant side effects from using Ekso. The only complaint of patients is a burning sensation in the calf muscles. The developers promised to fix this problem.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru07.09.2012