Observational studyThe journal of spinal cord medicine2022
Exoskeleton use in acute rehabilitation post spinal cord injury: A qualitative study exploring patients' experiences.
Observational study in The journal of spinal cord medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Robotic-assisted gait training for spinal cord injury neuropathic pain: A systematic review.The journal of spinal cord medicine · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review of the determinants of implementation of a locomotor training program using a powered exoskeleton for individuals with a spinal cord injury.Clinical rehabilitation · 2023Pooled it
- Exoskeletal-Assisted Walking During Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Enhances Recovery for Persons with Spinal Cord Injury-A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of neurotrauma · 2024Trial
- Wearable powered overground exoskeleton reduces dose-dependently the spasticity in individuals with spinal cord injury.Spinal cord · 2026Article
- Exploring the Feasibility and Patient Acceptance of RAGT for Overground Ambulation in Adults With Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Scoping Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2026Review
- Robotic-Assisted Rehabilitation and Spinal Neuromodulation After Spinal Cord Injury: From Mechanisms to Trial-Informed Practice.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Towards the Identification of Patients' Needs for Promoting Robotics and Allied Digital Technologies in Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Acceptability of Overground Wearable Powered Exoskeletons for People with Spinal Cord Injury: A Multicenter Qualitative Study.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The Development of a Certification and Grading Procedure for German SCI Units.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- A qualitative study to elicit user requirements for lower limb wearable exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation in spinal cord injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2023Article
- Rehabilitation Program for Gait Training Using UAN.GO, a Powered Exoskeleton: A Case Report.Neurology international · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
CONTEXT/
objectiveSpinal cord injury (SCI) is intensely life altering, affecting multiple body systems and functions, including the ability to walk. Exoskeleton assisted walking (EAW) is a rehabilitation tool that aims to support locomotor training, yet little is known about the patient experience. The purpose of this qualitative study, part of a prospective observational case series, was to increase our understanding of SCI patient experience using a robotic exoskeleton in this acute post-injury period.
designA qualitative descriptive approach was implemented in this study, with the aim to explore and understand participants' experience with EAW training. PARTICIPANTS/
settingNine of the 11 participants enrolled in the observational study agreed to participate in an interview. All participants had suffered a SCI, and had received their trauma care and inpatient rehabilitation at a tertiary center in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
resultsThe benefits to EAW use described by participants were primarily psychological and included the joy of eye level contact, excitement at being able to walk with assistance, improvement in mood, and hope for the future. Potential physiological benefits include increased strength, decreased spasticity and reduced pain. Challenges to EAW use include weakness and fatigue, and a fear of incontinence.
conclusionQualitative research will continue to be an important component in future research on the use of EAW training as part of the rehabilitation process. Increasing understanding of the participants experience with this novel therapeutic modality and technology will be fundamental to improve its implementation in clinical practice.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.