With regard to lower limb exoskeleton, some of its purposes related to patient with walking difficulties are gait restoration and gait rehabilitation. Just found out that gait restoration and rehabilitation are different. Can somebody give brief explanation on the differences between both?
Hi. Basically the same thing is said. There is, however, a difference between walking with or without support. In the recovery of the march with support, we speak in recovery. When there is no support, we talk about rehabilitation of the gait. I hope you have.
In my opinion gait restoration means to functionally restore gait - if necessary with technical help like prosthetics, braces etc. The aim of gait restoration is to enable the person to walk again - even if he has to use compensatory strategies.
Gait rehabilitation focuses on recovery of gait - the aim is that the patient "relearns" to walk - if possible without help.
Thanks. Now that adds up to three gait related terms; gait rehabilitation, gait restoration and gait recovery. So, if we use a lower limb exoskeleton to help a patient to gain back normal walking ability, which of the term that relates best?
Does the terms related to the conditions of the patient losing ability to walk or having difficulty of walk due to stroke, spinal cord injuries, accident, paralysis, paresis?
I would say if the aim is to gain back normal walking without exoskeleton we talk about rehabilitation. The patient learns to walk again with robotic exoskeleton therapy.
If the patient continues to wear the exoskeleton (cannot walk without it) it is gait restoration. The exoskeleton restores the patients ability to walk.
There is no relation between the terms and the causes of the gait deficit.
Patients who require a lower extremity prosthesis (endo or exoskeleton limb) would receive physical therapy for gait restoration. However, while utilizing a prosthesis full normal gain cannot be achieved. The goal is to allow the patient to attain some level of ambulation utilizing a prosthetic limb. This also entails an increase in energy expenditure by the patient. Gait rehabilitation would be in a patient who has some impairment in their gait as a result of a CVA, or some other neurological condition. Again the goal of therapy would be to allow the patient to be able to ambulate perhaps with use of an assistive device (e.g. cane, walker).
Good. This will depend on the injury / residual capacity of the patient. It is possible to walk without support (rehabilitation of walking). If you need some support (bracing, prosthesis, walkers, crutches, etc) we would say that it will need recovery "with support". That is, you can walk again, but you will always need support.
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