Effects of robot-(Morning Walk^®) assisted gait training for patients after stroke: a randomized controlled trial

To investigate the effects of Morning Walk^®-assisted gait training for patients with stroke.

Prospective randomized controlled trial.

Three hospital rehabilitation departments (two tertiary and one secondary).

We enrolled 58 patients with hemiparesis following a first-time stroke within the preceding year and with Functional Ambulation Category scores ⩾2.

The patients were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: 30 minutes of training with Morning Walk^®, a lower limb rehabilitation robot, plus 1 hour of conventional physiotherapy (Morning Walk^® group; n = 28); or 1.5 hour of conventional physiotherapy (control group; n = 30). All received treatment five times per week for three weeks.

The primary outcomes were walking ability, assessed using the Functional Ambulation Category scale, and lower limb function, assessed using the Motricity Index-Lower. Secondary outcomes included the 10 Meter Walk Test, Modified Barthel Index, Rivermead Mobility Index, and Berg Balance Scale scores.

A total of 10 patients were lost to follow-up, leaving a cohort of 48 for the final analyses. After training, all outcome measures significantly improved in both groups. In Motricity Index-Lower of the affected limb, the Morning Walk^® group (∆mean ± SD; 19.68 ± 14.06) showed greater improvement ( p = .034) than the control group (∆mean ± SD; 11.70 ± 10.65). And Berg Balance Scale scores improved more ( p = .047) in the Morning Walk^® group (∆mean ± SD; 14.36 ± 9.01) than the control group (∆mean ± SD; 9.65 ± 8.14).

Compared with conventional physiotherapy alone, our results suggest that voluntary strength and balance of stroke patients with hemiparesis might be improved with Morning Walk^®-assisted gait training combined with conventional physiotherapy.