They talk about protocols but don't provide any, so useless.
The Combined Effects of Body Weight Support and Gait Speed on Gait Related Muscle Activity: A Comparison between Walking in the Lokomat Exoskeleton and Regular Treadmill Walking
Klaske Van Kammen1, Annemarijke Boonstra2, Heleen Reinders-Messelink2, Rob den Otter1*
1Center for Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, 2Rehabilitation Center ‘Revalidatie Friesland’, Beetsterzwaag, The Netherlands
1Center for Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, 2Rehabilitation Center ‘Revalidatie Friesland’, Beetsterzwaag, The Netherlands
Abstract
Background:
For the development of specialized training protocols for robot assisted gait training, it is important to understand how the use of exoskeletons alters locomotor task demands, and how the nature and magnitude of these changes depend on training parameters. Therefore, the present study assessed the combined effects of gait speed and body weight support (BWS) on muscle activity, and compared these between treadmill walking and walking in the Lokomat exoskeleton.
Methods:
Ten healthy participants walked on a treadmill and in the Lokomat, with varying levels of BWS (0% and 50% of the participants’ body weight) and gait speed (0.8, 1.8, and 2.8 km/h), while temporal step characteristics and muscle activity from Erector Spinae, Gluteus Medius, Vastus Lateralis, Biceps Femoris, Gastrocnemius Medialis, and Tibialis Anterior muscles were recorded.
Results:
The temporal structure of the stepping pattern was altered when participants walked in the Lokomat or when BWS was provided (i.e. the relative duration of the double support phase was reduced, and the single support phase prolonged), but these differences normalized as gait speed increased. Alternations in muscle activity were characterized by complex interactions between walking conditions and training parameters: Differences between treadmill walking and walking in the exoskeleton were most prominent at low(meaningless) gait speeds(number?), and speed effects were attenuated when BWS was provided(How much BWS?).
Conclusion:
Walking in the Lokomat exoskeleton without movement guidance alters the temporal step regulation and the neuromuscular control of walking, although the nature and magnitude of these effects depend on complex interactions with gait speed and BWS. If normative neuromuscular control of gait is targeted during training, it is recommended that very low speeds and high levels of BWS should be avoided when possible.
Citation: Van Kammen K, Boonstra A, Reinders-Messelink H, den Otter R (2014) The Combined Effects of Body Weight Support and Gait Speed on Gait Related Muscle Activity: A Comparison between Walking in the Lokomat Exoskeleton and Regular Treadmill Walking. PLoS ONE 9(9): e107323. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0107323
Editor: Jeffrey M. Haddad, Purdue University, United States of America
Received February 11, 2014; Accepted June 19, 2014; Published September 16, 2014 Copyright: 2014 Van Kammen et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: These authors have no support or funding to report.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
* Email: a.r.den.otter@umcg.nl
For the development of specialized training protocols for robot assisted gait training, it is important to understand how the use of exoskeletons alters locomotor task demands, and how the nature and magnitude of these changes depend on training parameters. Therefore, the present study assessed the combined effects of gait speed and body weight support (BWS) on muscle activity, and compared these between treadmill walking and walking in the Lokomat exoskeleton.
Methods:
Ten healthy participants walked on a treadmill and in the Lokomat, with varying levels of BWS (0% and 50% of the participants’ body weight) and gait speed (0.8, 1.8, and 2.8 km/h), while temporal step characteristics and muscle activity from Erector Spinae, Gluteus Medius, Vastus Lateralis, Biceps Femoris, Gastrocnemius Medialis, and Tibialis Anterior muscles were recorded.
Results:
The temporal structure of the stepping pattern was altered when participants walked in the Lokomat or when BWS was provided (i.e. the relative duration of the double support phase was reduced, and the single support phase prolonged), but these differences normalized as gait speed increased. Alternations in muscle activity were characterized by complex interactions between walking conditions and training parameters: Differences between treadmill walking and walking in the exoskeleton were most prominent at low(meaningless) gait speeds(number?), and speed effects were attenuated when BWS was provided(How much BWS?).
Conclusion:
Walking in the Lokomat exoskeleton without movement guidance alters the temporal step regulation and the neuromuscular control of walking, although the nature and magnitude of these effects depend on complex interactions with gait speed and BWS. If normative neuromuscular control of gait is targeted during training, it is recommended that very low speeds and high levels of BWS should be avoided when possible.
Citation: Van Kammen K, Boonstra A, Reinders-Messelink H, den Otter R (2014) The Combined Effects of Body Weight Support and Gait Speed on Gait Related Muscle Activity: A Comparison between Walking in the Lokomat Exoskeleton and Regular Treadmill Walking. PLoS ONE 9(9): e107323. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0107323
Editor: Jeffrey M. Haddad, Purdue University, United States of America
Received February 11, 2014; Accepted June 19, 2014; Published September 16, 2014 Copyright: 2014 Van Kammen et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: These authors have no support or funding to report.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
* Email: a.r.den.otter@umcg.nl
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