Gait Rehabilitation with Exoskeletons

The exoskeleton is a robotics-assisted, powered device that enables paralyzed patients to stand up and walk. This chapter examines the state of art concerning the use of active, powered, and wearable lower limb exoskeletons for aiding and rehabilitating paraplegic patients’ gait disorders resulting from serious central nervous system lesions. A qualitative analysis of the literature review found that the rehabilitative use of an exoskeleton is safe and practical, not physically exhausting, and requires just a little cognitive effort. In addition, exoskeleton use is easy to learn, increases mobility and functional abilities, and decreases the risk of secondary injuries, restoring a gait pattern comparable to normal when walking over ground. Nevertheless, the rehabilitative use of an exoskeleton has some important limitations: the wearability criteria are too restrictive, the training to use it autonomously at home is very complex, and the device is still extremely expensive. A further limitation is the scarcity of experimental designs that demonstrate the effectiveness of the exoskeleton compared to other rehabilitative techniques and technologies.