Robot-Assisted Intensive Physiotherapy in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Robot-Assisted Physiotherapy: Robot-assisted gait training will be performed using the Robogait robotic gait training system. Each 45-minute session will include 5 minutes of warm-up, 35 minutes of robotic gait training, and 5 minutes of cool-down exercises. Body-weight support, robotic assistance, and walking speed will be individualized according to each participant's clinical condition. Initial settings will consist of 50% body-weight support, 60% robotic assistance, and a walking speed of 1.5 km/h, with adjustments made as needed during treatment. Participants in the experimental group will receive robot-assisted physiotherapy 3 days per week for 8 weeks.

Conventional Physiotherapy: The conventional physiotherapy program will consist of individualized exercises aimed at improving trunk control, balance, mobility, and lower-extremity function. Each 45-minute session will include warm-up and cool-down exercises, range-of-motion and flexibility exercises, posterior pelvic tilt exercises, active and active-assisted lower-extremity exercises, gravity-resisted lower-extremity exercises, static and dynamic sitting balance exercises, weight-shifting exercises, and balance exercises using a balance board and exercise ball. Participants in the experimental group will receive conventional physiotherapy 4 days per week, whereas participants in the control group will receive conventional physiotherapy 7 days per week. Treatment will continue for 8 weeks.

Study summary

This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effects of robot-assisted intensive physiotherapy on trunk control, posture, and activities of daily living in individuals with spinal cord injury. A total of 52 participants will be randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group. Both groups will receive 45-minute treatment sessions 7 days per week for 8 weeks. The experimental group will receive robot-assisted physiotherapy 3 days per week and trunk-focused conventional physiotherapy 4 days per week, whereas the control group will receive trunk-focused conventional physiotherapy 7 days per week. Participants will be evaluated at baseline, at the end of week 4, and at the end of week 8.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Clinical Trunk Control Test — Baseline, week 4, and week 8
  Trunk control will be assessed using the Clinical Trunk Control Test, which evaluates static trunk control, dynamic trunk control, and dynamic trunk control during upper-extremity activities. The total score ranges from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating better trunk control.

Trial sites (1)

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