Department of Orthotics & Prosthetics, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Rehabilitation Management, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2021 Aug;16(6):562-566. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2019.1685014. Epub 2020 Mar 19.
The quality of life (QoL) for patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI) is lower than that for healthy individuals. The main purpose of prescribing orthoses for these individuals is to improve their mobility and QoL. The hip knee ankle foot orthosis (HKAFO) has been the conventional choice for such patients, whilst the reciprocating gait orthosis (RGO) is a more contemporary option. Although the impact of these two types of orthoses on the biomechanics of walking has been previously evaluated in patients with SCI, there has been no specific comparison of their relative effects on QoL.
This study aimed to evaluate the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP-68) QoL questionnaire's total score and its sub-scores in patients with SCIs wearing either RGOs or HKAFOs.
This study was performed on 22 participants (11 participants wearing RGOs and 11 wearing HKAFOs). QoL scores were evaluated in each group of patients using the total and sub-scores from the SIP-68 questionnaire.
There were no significant differences in the total SIP-68 scores between the RGO and HKAFO groups ( = .57). However, emotional stability and emotional independence sub-scores were significantly lower for the RGO users than for the HKAFO users ( = .03 and = .01), respectively.
Based upon this preliminary study, participants wearing RGOs or HKAFOs had similar QoL scores. However, those wearing RGOs may experience better emotional stability, communication, and emotional independence. This preliminary study does not provide definite conclusions since a large randomized control trial is required to compare the effects of these orthoses on the QoL scores in patients with SCIs.Implications for rehabilitationOur main aim in the current investigation was to shed light on the question that does the biomechanical superiority of the RGO to the HKAFO leads to better quality of life in SCI subjects who are using RGO. Regarding the fact that the primary goal of rehabilitation of people with SCI is to improve their quality of life, it seems that the more complicated newer orthosis (RGO) has no difference with the older type (HKAFO) in achieving the rehabilitation goals. More studies will in fact be necessary to find a definitive answer for this important question.According to the findings of our study, it seems to be more appropriate to prescribe RGO for male participants with higher body weight.
脊髓损伤（SCI）患者的生活质量（QoL）低于健康个体。为这些患者开处方矫形器的主要目的是提高他们的活动能力和生活质量。髋关节膝关节踝关节足矫形器（HKAFO）一直是此类患者的传统选择，而往复式步态矫形器（RGO）则是更现代的选择。尽管以前已经评估了这两种矫形器对 SCI 患者步行生物力学的影响，但尚未对它们对 QoL 的相对影响进行具体比较。
本研究旨在评估使用 RGO 或 HKAFO 的 SCI 患者的 Sickness Impact Profile（SIP-68）生活质量问卷总分及其子量表的得分。
本研究纳入了 22 名参与者（11 名佩戴 RGO，11 名佩戴 HKAFO）。使用 SIP-68 问卷的总分和子量表评估每组患者的 QoL 评分。
RGO 组和 HKAFO 组之间的 SIP-68 总分无显著差异（=.57）。然而，RGO 使用者的情绪稳定性和情绪独立性子量表得分明显低于 HKAFO 使用者（=.03 和 =.01）。
基于这项初步研究，佩戴 RGO 或 HKAFO 的参与者具有相似的 QoL 评分。然而，佩戴 RGO 的患者可能具有更好的情绪稳定性、沟通和情绪独立性。由于需要进行大规模随机对照试验来比较这些矫形器对 SCI 患者生活质量评分的影响，因此本初步研究无法得出明确的结论。
我们在本研究中的主要目的是探讨 RGO 相对于 HKAFO 的生物力学优势是否会导致使用 RGO 的 SCI 患者生活质量更好的问题。鉴于 SCI 患者康复的主要目标是提高他们的生活质量，因此似乎更复杂的新型矫形器（RGO）与较旧的类型（HKAFO）在实现康复目标方面没有区别。事实上，需要进行更多的研究才能为这个重要问题找到明确的答案。
根据我们的研究结果，对于体重较高的男性参与者，为他们开具 RGO 的处方可能更为合适。
