Benefits of a Wearable Cyborg HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) in Patients with Childhood-Onset Motor Disabilities: A 1-Year Follow-Up Study

• Published in: Pediatric reports Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 215 - 226
• Main Authors: Kuroda, Mayumi Matsuda, Iwasaki, Nobuaki, Mutsuzaki, Hirotaka, Yoshikawa, Kenichi, Takahashi, Kazushi, Nakayama, Tomohiro, Nakayama, Junko, Takeuchi, Ryoko, Mataki, Yuki, Ohguro, Haruka, Tomita, Kazuhide
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-03-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Adults; Cerebral palsy; Children; Disabilities; Disability; Encephalitis; Exercise; exercise therapy; exoskeleton device; Gait; Intervention; Kinematics; motor disorders; Paralysis; Patients; Pediatrics; Polyneuropathy; Rehabilitation; Rehabilitation robots; robotic exoskeleton; Robotics; Robots; Training; Walking; walking speed; Wearable technology; exercise therapy; neurological rehabilitation; robotic exoskeleton; cerebral palsy; exoskeleton device; motor disorders; disabled persons; walking speed; motor activity
• DOI: 10.3390/pediatric15010017
• EISSN: 2036-7503
• ISSN: 2036-749X; 2036-7503

Rehabilitation robots have shown promise in improving the gait of children with childhood-onset motor disabilities. This study aimed to investigate the long-term benefits of training using a wearable Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) in these patients. Training using a HAL was performed for 20 min a day, two to four times a week, over four weeks (12 sessions in total). The Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) was the primary outcome measure, and the secondary outcome measures were gait speed, step length, cadence, 6-min walking distance (6MD), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory, and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Patients underwent assessments before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and at 1-, 2-, 3-month and 1-year follow-ups. Nine participants (five males, four females; mean age: 18.9 years) with cerebral palsy (
= 7), critical illness polyneuropathy (
= 1), and encephalitis (
= 1) were enrolled. After training using HAL, GMFM, gait speed, cadence, 6MD, and COPM significantly improved (all
< 0.05). Improvements in GMFM were maintained one year after the intervention (
< 0.001) and in self-selected gait speed and 6MD three months after the intervention (
< 0.05). Training using HAL may be safe and feasible for childhood-onset motor disabilities and may maintain long-term improvements in motor function and walking ability.