Table 1.
Author (Year) | Population | Robotic System | Intervention | Results and Conclusions |
---|---|---|---|---|
MARIUSZ DRUZBICKI (2013) [27] |
52 children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (6–13 years) | Lokomat active orthosis | Individual exercise program (motor control, sitting stability and walking skills) with Lokomat or individual exercise program; 20 sessions of 45 min |
Walking speed showed a low level of improvement in both groups (r = −0.53, p = 0.0011). No statistically significant changes in gait parameters after 4 weeks. Lokomat: no significative improvement (p > 0.05). |
LAURA WALLARD (2017) [28] | 30 children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (8–10 years) |
Lokomat Pediatric |
Lokomat Pediatric or physical/occupational therapy treatment (passive–active mobilizations, balance, grasping and displacements); 20 sessions: 5 times perweek (40 min) for 4 weeks |
Lokomat improved walking ability, upper body control and lower limb kinematics. Standing activity: 60.58% ± 14.71 for experimental group versus 55.74% ± 15.02 for control group. 50.87% ± 15.82 for experimental group versus 43.61% ± 12.59 for control group for walking, running and climbing activities. |
LAURA WALLARD (2018) [29] | 30 children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (8–10 years) |
Lokomat Pediatric |
Lokomat Pediatric or physical/occupational therapy treatment for walking on level ground or a mat and balance (unipodal or bipodal) up and down stairs; 20 sessions: 5 times per week (40 min) for 4 weeks |
Lokomat system favored new gait organization to improve postural and locomotor functions and gait patterns: p = 0.073 (experimental group) versus p = 0.048 (control group). Lokomat system did not replace other therapies, it was a complement. |
MELTEN YAZICI (2019) [30] |
24 children with congenital spastic hemiparetic cerebral palsy (5–12 years) |
Innowalk Pro: robotic gait training program | Conventional treatment (stretching and strengthening exercises, squats, stair climbing and descending, functional reaching, balance and standing on a single leg) with RGTP or conventional treatment; 3 times per week (30 min) for 12 weeks |
Muscle strength, balance (52.08 (2.68) points for experimental group versus 51.00 (3.30) for control group), walking speed (22 m for experimental group), functionality (93.00 (10.11) for experimental group versus 92.71 (8.88) for control group), endurance and peripheral O2 saturation improved. Experimental group: effects were preserved after three months. Robotic system rehabilitation: supportive tool, but not a therapeutic method alone. |
LI HUA JIN (2020) [31] |
20 children with cerebral palsy (4–9 years) |
Walkbot-K system (exoskeletal robot-assisted gait training) | Conventional physical therapy (2–4 times per week) or robotic system-assisted gait training (3 times per week, 30 min); 18 sessions over 6 weeks |
Gross motor function and functional capability in daily activities improved after 6 weeks of treatment with the Walkbot-K system (p = 0.018 for standing activities and p = 0.021 for dynamic activities). |
MAURIZIO PETRARCA (2020) [32] | 24 children with diplegic cerebral palsy (4–13 years) | Lokomat | Robotic system-assisted gait training and physiotherapy (functional gait exercises); 20 sessions: 5 times per week for 4 weeks |
Robotic system-assisted gait training with Lokomat and physiotherapy produced no conclusive results in the search for new adaptative solutions for these children. |
BURAK YASAR (2021) [33] |
26 children with diplegic cerebral palsy (7–14) | Robogait | Conventional physical therapy (40 min) and RoboGait (25 min) 2 times per week or conventional therapy alone (65 min) 2 times per week; 16 sessions over 8 weeks |
No significant differences were observed between groups, although both groups showed improvement in functional independence, balance and performance at the end of the therapy (29.08 points (10.28) in robotic system group versus 26.69 points (10.82) in control group). Robogait alone was not superior to conventional physical therapy (p > 0.05). |