The goal of this study is to develop and validate a haptic assistive method in order to support walking in patients with Parkinson's disease, delivered to the patient's hips through a wearable robotic pelvis orthosis.
None of the existing robotic devices used for gait rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease is wearable. Thanks to the wearable robotic pelvis orthosis we will use, the rehabilitation sessions can take place in an ecological environment. The other advantage of the proposed assistance protocol is its adaptability: patients will feel their hips pattern to be "smoothed" by the robot, but they will keep the freedom of continuously steering their main movement variables (like stride frequency, duration, and length). A key measured metric will precisely rely on this variability between stride durations. Indeed, the degree of stride-to-stride variability was shown to reflect the patient's physiological state, and to be correlated with the stage of the disease. Experimental trials will be conducted to assess both the assistive (i.e. the therapy effect during the therapy itself) and rehabilitative (i.e. effect after the therapy) natures of our protocol. The second main objective of this project will be the analysis of the effects of our protocol regarding the stride-to-stride variability of patients with Parkinson's disease.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
41
Walking with the robotic device providing the assistive protocol.
Walking exercises without wearing the robotic device.
Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc
Brussels, Belgium
Long-Range Autocorrelation (LRA)
Assesses the variability between stride durations
Time frame: From day 0 up to 8 weeks
Unified Parkinson's disease rating scales (UPDRS)
Assesses the disease stage and severity
Time frame: From day 0 up to 8 weeks
Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC)
Self reported measure of balance confidence in performing various activities
Time frame: From day 0 up to 8 weeks
Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest)
The balance of subjects is tested during 6 postural control contexts
Time frame: From day 0 up to 8 weeks
Gait analysis
Average stride length and duration, gait symmetry, hips range of motion
Time frame: From day 0 up to 8 weeks
Joint torques
In order to assess the mechanical efforts associated to walking
Time frame: From day 0 up to 8 weeks
Physiological Cost Index
In order to assess the metabolic efforts associated to walking
Time frame: From day 0 up to 8 weeks
System Usability Scale (SUS)
Self reported measure of the fatigue and stress felt by patients
Time frame: After 4 weeks
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