Table 2:

Summery of the progression of key findings regarding the effectiveness of body weight supported treadmill training in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury. Abbreviations: BWST: body weight supported treadmill training: EMG: electromyography: FES: functional electrical simulation: MG: medial gastrocnemius: PT: physical therapy; ROM: range of motion; TA: tibialis anterior WISCI II: walking index for spinal cord injury.

Author	Question	Training Dose	Key Finding
Gorassini et al., 2004 [108]	Do coordinative strategies change after BSWT?	1–3 months	Reduced step by step foot trajectory variability.
Thomas et al., 2005 [91]	Does BWST improve residual corticospinal function?	10–21 weeks ≤ 5 sessions/week 1 hr/session	Increases in max MEP of target muscles Improved walking function corresponded to MEP Improved walking ability, walking speed
Giangregorio et al., 2006 [70]	Does BWST increase bone mass and reverse muscle atrophy?	12 months 144 sessions 3 session s/week	No changes in bone density. Increase in whole body-lean mass. Increase in muscle body cross-sectional area.
Gorassini at al., 2008 [76]	Are changes in neuromuscular coordination associated with walking improvements after BSWT?	10–20 weeks 3day s/week 1h/day	Functional gait improvements (WISCI II. speed). Decreased co-contraction of proximal muscles. Increases in EMG activation of TA and hamstrings.
Field-Fote et al., 2011 [74]	Does BWST achieve similar walking gains as overground training?	12 weeks 5 sessions/week	Gains in walking speed equivalent across training. Gains in endurance greater for overground training
Yang et al., 2011 [92]	What measures best predicts responders to BWST?	≥10 weeks 5 days/week 1 hr/day	Leg strength and muscle activity predict increases in walking speed and functional walking ability
Lucareli et al., 2011 [71]	Is BWST more effective than conventional PT in improving gait?	30 weekly sessions 30 min/ session	Increases m speed and distance after BWST. No differences in outcomes following conventional PT.
Yang etal., 2014 [92]	Is repetitive mass practice or task specific practice lead to better walking performance?	2 months 5 sessions/week 1 hour/day	Increased walking distance and endurance after endurance rather than precision walking training
Kapadia et al., 2014 [73]	Does FES confer additional benefit when combined with BWST?	16 weeks 3 sessions/week 45 min session	Both FE- assisted BWST and aerobic training show similar increases in walking speed, endurance, and balance.
Brazg et al., 2017 [78]	Does high intensity locomotor training improve treadmill walking performance and metabolic function?	4–6 weeks 3–5 sessions/week 20,1 hr. sessions	High intensity training increased peak treadmill speed and endurance relative to low intensity training.
Ardestani et al., 2019 [77]	Does higher intensity BWST change joint and muscle coordination strategies?	4–6 weeks 20, 1hour sessions	High intensity training increased joint ROM. Intralimb coordination improved in weaker limb. Increase neuromuscular complexity.
Covarrubias-Escudero et al., 2019 [75]	Does BWST improve center of mass control?	6 weeks 3 sessions\week 24 min session	Improved center of mass control. No changes in gait independence. No significant change in postural sway.