Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.
Adv Biol (Weinh). 2024 Jun;8(6):e2300661. doi: 10.1002/adbi.202300661. Epub 2024 Mar 22.
Inspired by the ideas from the fields of gait rehabilitation, neuroscience, and locomotion biomechanics and energetics, a body of work is reviewed that has led to propose a conceptual framework for novel "self-assistive" walking devices that could further promote walking recovery from incomplete spinal cord injuries. The underlying rationale is based on a neural coupling mechanism that governs the coordinated movements of the arms and legs during walking, and that the excitability of these neural pathways can be exploited by actively engaging the arms during locomotor training. Self-assistive treadmill walking rehabilitation devices are envisioned as an approach that would allow an individual to actively use their arms to help the legs during walking. It is hoped that the conceptual framework inspires the design and use of self-assistive walking devices that are tailored to assist individuals with an incomplete spinal cord injury to regain their functional walking ability.
受步态康复、神经科学、运动生物力学和能量学领域的启发，对一系列相关工作进行了回顾，提出了一个新概念框架，用于新型“自助式”步行设备，以进一步促进不完全性脊髓损伤患者的步行康复。其基本原理是基于一种神经耦合机制，该机制控制着步行时手臂和腿部的协调运动，并且可以通过在运动训练期间主动活动手臂来利用这些神经通路的兴奋性。自助式跑步机步行康复设备被设想为一种方法，使个体能够主动使用手臂在行走时帮助腿部。希望该概念框架能够激发自助式步行设备的设计和使用，以帮助不完全性脊髓损伤患者恢复其功能性步行能力。
