Locomotion training using voluntary driven exoskeleton (HAL) in acute incomplete SCI

1. Oliver Cruciger, MD, 
2. Martin Tegenthoff, MD, 
3. Peter Schwenkreis, MD, 
4. Thomas A. Schildhauer, MD and 
5. Mirko Aach, MD

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1. Correspondence to Dr. Cruciger: oliver.cruciger@bergmannsheil.de

1. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000000645Neurology July 29, 2014 vol. 83 no. 5 474

http://www.neurology.org/content/83/5/474.full

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A 34-year-old man had a traumatic thoracic spinal cord injury, with vertebral fracture and a right acetabulum fracture. Dorsal spinal fusion of T6 through T9 was performed on admission. The initial American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (C) showed incomplete motor T10 lesion.

Exoskeletal locomotion training with hybrid assistive limb¹ started 77 days post trauma after radiologic confirmation of consolidation of the acetabulum fracture.

There was recovery of motor functions and walking abilities (video 1 on the Neurology® Web site at Neurology.org) throughout 12 weeks of locomotion training² with an increase in Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury II (WISCI-II) score from 8 to 18 (video 2); conversion to ASIA D occurred.

 

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FOOTNOTES

• Supplemental data at Neurology.org
• Author contributions: Dr. Cruciger: concept, acquisition and data, design and analysis. Prof. Dr. Schwenkreis: critical revision of the manuscript, supervision. Prof. Dr. Tegenthoff: critical revision of the manuscript, supervision. Prof. Dr. Schildhauer: critical revision of the manuscript, supervision. Dr. Aach: concept, design, acquisition and data, supervision.
• Study funding: No targeted funding reported.
• Disclosure: The authors report no disclosures relevant to the manuscript. Go to Neurology.org for full disclosures.

• © 2014 American Academy of Neurology

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