Trial reportJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation2023
Exoskeleton-based training improves walking independence in incomplete spinal cord injury patients: results from a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 31 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of an exoskeleton robot on motor function in patients with spinal cord injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Can robot-assisted gait training improve walking and activity abilities in persons with spinal cord injury? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in neurologyPooled it
- Impact of High-Definition Cathodal tDCS Preconditioning on Enhancing the Therapeutic Efficacy of iTBS Combined With FES for Improving Walking Function in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2026Trial
- First report of a new exoskeleton in incomplete spinal cord injury: FreeGaitThe journal of spinal cord medicine · 2026Trial
- Efficacy of combined repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and occupational therapy in spinal cord injury patients: a randomized controlled clinical study.Spinal cord · 2026Article
- Statistical quality in RCTs of technology-based rehabilitation after spinal cord injury: A CHAMP-Based Meta-Research Study.Spinal cord · 2026Review
- Robotic Rehabilitation in Spinal Cord Injury: Neurophysiological Basis and Severity-Based Clinical Framework.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- Validation of Dynamic Bayesian Optimization for a Non-Stationary Human-in-the-Loop Optimization Problem.IEEE robotics and automation letters · 2026Article
- Methodological framework for a user-centered, structured, and digitized training program for exoskeleton pilots in CYBATHLON preparation.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Hybrid 12-Month Exoskeleton Training with Percutaneous Epidural Stimulation After Spinal Cord Injury.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Robotic exoskeleton rehabilitation in incomplete L2 paraplegia: functional gains contrast with metabolic challenges - a multidimensional case report.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- Effects of early photobiomodulation therapy on motor recovery in patients with incomplete acute cervical spinal cord injury: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.Journal of orthopaedic translation · 2026Article
- Patient and clinician perceptions, expectations, and usability of ankle exoskeletons for daily living: a mixed-methods survey study.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Case Report: Efficacy of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation combined with overground robotic-assisted gait training in chronic incomplete spinal cord injury.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Article
- Foot-to-Forearm Tactile Feedback for Lower-Limb Exoskeleton Control: A Pilot Benchmarking Study in Healthy Adults.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Application of Artificial Intelligence in Physical Rehabilitation of Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: A Scoping Review.Indian journal of critical care medicine : peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine · 2025Article
- State-of-the-Art in Robotic Rehabilitation for Spinal Cord Injury Patients: A Literature Review.Korean journal of neurotrauma · 2025Review
- CRISPR and Artificial Intelligence in Neuroregeneration: Closed-Loop Strategies for Precision Medicine, Spinal Cord Repair, and Adaptive Neuro-Oncology.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Deep Learning Models Optimization for Gait Phase Identification from EMG Data During Exoskeleton-Assisted Walking.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The application of robotic and artificial intelligence technologies in spinal surgery: a review focused on prospects in remote areas of China.Journal of robotic surgery · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn recent years, ambulatory lower limb exoskeletons are being gradually introduced into the clinical practice to complement walking rehabilitation programs. However, the clinical evidence of the outcomes attained with these devices is still limited and nonconclusive. Furthermore, the user-to-robot adaptation mechanisms responsible for functional improvement are still not adequately unveiled. This study aimed to (1) assess the safety and feasibility of using the HANK exoskeleton for walking rehabilitation, and (2) investigate the effects on walking function after a training program with it.
methodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted including a cohort of 23 patients with less than 1 year since injury, neurological level of injury (C2-L4) and severity (American Spinal Cord Injury Association Impairment Scale [AIS] C or D). The intervention was comprised of 15 one-hour gait training sessions with lower limb exoskeleton HANK. Safety was assessed through monitoring of adverse events, and pain and fatigue through a Visual Analogue Scale. LEMS, WISCI-II, and SCIM-III scales were assessed, along with the 10MWT, 6MWT, and the TUG walking tests (see text for acronyms).
resultsNo major adverse events were reported. Participants in the intervention group (IG) reported 1.8 cm (SD 1.0) for pain and 3.8 (SD 1.7) for fatigue using the VAS. Statistically significant differences were observed for the WISCI-II for both the "group" factor (F = 16.75, p < 0.001) and "group-time" interactions (F = 8.87; p < 0.01). A post-hoc analysis revealed a statistically significant increase of 3.54 points (SD 2.65, p < 0.0001) after intervention for the IG but not in the CG (0.7 points, SD 1.49, p = 0.285). No statistical differences were observed between groups for the remaining variables.
conclusionsThe use of HANK exoskeleton in clinical settings is safe and well-tolerated by the patients. Patients receiving treatment with the exoskeleton improved their walking independence as measured by the WISCI-II after the treatment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.