Clinical Utility of Robot-Assisted Gait Training in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Electrical Burns: A Case Report

Overview

Robot-assisted gait training has been effective in several diseases. Nevertheless, evidence supporting the efficacy of such training in burn patients remains insufficient. This report aimed to evaluate the effect of robot-assisted gait training in burn patients with spinal cord injuries caused by electrical trauma. We will report a case of two patients who underwent 30 min of robot-assisted gait training using SUBAR® (Cretem, Korea) with 30 min of conventional physiotherapy, 5 days a week for 12 weeks.

Robot-assisted gait training has been effective in several diseases. Nevertheless, evidence supporting the efficacy of such training in burn patients remains insufficient. This report aimed to evaluate the effect of robot-assisted gait training in burn patients with spinal cord injuries caused by electrical trauma. Gait training using SUBAR® (Cretem, Korea) proceeded by adjusting parameters (gait speed, step length, and degree of knee flexion) according to the patient's leg length and gait function. The parameters were set to the maximum levels tolerated by the patient. The patients underwent 30 min of robot-assisted training using SUBAR® with 30 min of conventional physiotherapy, 5 days a week for 12 weeks. All measurements were assessed before training (0 week) and after training (12 weeks). The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) lower extremity motor subscale score (LEMS; range 0-50) was used to evaluate motor function. LEMS is the sum of bilateral lower extremity key muscle power, ranging from total paralysis (0) to normal active movement with a full range of motion against gravity and maximum resistance (5), with a total possible score of 50. The passive range of motions (ROMs) of different joints (hip, knee, and ankle) were measured using a goniometer. The ambulatory motor index (AMI; range 0-30), which predicts ambulatory capability, was measured by evaluating muscles of hip flexion, hip abduction, hip extension, knee extension, and knee flexion on both sides. Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC) scores and 6-min walking test (6MWT) distances were measured to evaluate functional recovery. FAC was evaluated based on a 6-point scale, from 0 (the patient cannot walk or can only walk with the assistance of two people) to 5 (the patient can walk independently). 6MWT followed the standardised guidelines, and the walking course was 20 m. The patients were instructed to walk as far as possible in 6 min .