Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35094007›Full record

Trial reportSpinal cord2022

Walking improvement in chronic incomplete spinal cord injury with exoskeleton robotic training (WISE): a randomized controlled trial.

Dylan J Edwards, Gail Forrest, Mar Cortes, Margaret M Weightman, Cristina Sadowsky, Shuo-Hsiu Chang, Kimberly Furman, Amy Bialek, Sara Prokup, John Carlow and 5 more

Open access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Spinal cord, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
9.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

40 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 71 citations in OpenAlex.

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  19. Regional Molecular Diversity in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury.Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 13 institutions in 2 countries.

Dylan J EdwardsMoss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Elkins Park, PA, USA. edwarddy@einstein.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7346-3100
Gail ForrestKessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ, USA.
Mar CortesIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Margaret M WeightmanCourage Kenny Research Center-Allina Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Cristina SadowskyKennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4028-7301
Shuo-Hsiu ChangDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9173-2044
Kimberly FurmanMarianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Wheaton, IL, USA.
Amy BialekBurke Neurological Institute, White Plains, NY, USA.
Sara ProkupShirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2089-6310
John CarlowDiscovery Statistics, Orange County, CA, USA.
Leslie VanHielEkso Bionics Ltd, Richmond, CA, USA.
Laura KempKemp Clinical Consulting Co. LLC, Carlsbad, CA, USA.
Darrell MusickEkso Bionics Ltd, Richmond, CA, USA.
Marc CampoMercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, USA.
Arun JayaramanShirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA.
Ekso Bionics (United States) · USShirley Ryan AbilityLab · USAllina Health · USBurke Medical Research Institute · USClinical Research Consulting · USDiscovery Cube Orange County · USEdith Cowan University · AUIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · USKennedy Krieger Institute · USKessler Foundation · USMarianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital · USMemorial Hermann Institute for Rehabilitation and Research Foundation · USMercy University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

designClinical trial.

objectiveTo demonstrate that a 12-week exoskeleton-based robotic gait training regimen can lead to a clinically meaningful improvement in independent gait speed, in community-dwelling participants with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI).

settingOutpatient rehabilitation or research institute.

methodsMulti-site (United States), randomized, controlled trial, comparing exoskeleton gait training (12 weeks, 36 sessions) with standard gait training or no gait training (2:2:1 randomization) in chronic iSCI (>1 year post injury, AIS-C, and D), with residual stepping ability. The primary outcome measure was change in robot-independent gait speed (10-meter walk test, 10MWT) post 12-week intervention. Secondary outcomes included: Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG), 6-min walk test (6MWT), Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI-II) (assistance and devices), and treating therapist NASA-Task Load Index.

resultsTwenty-five participants completed the assessments and training as assigned (9 Ekso, 10 Active Control, 6 Passive Control). Mean change in gait speed at the primary endpoint was not statistically significant. The proportion of participants with improvement in clinical ambulation category from home to community speed post-intervention was greatest in the Ekso group (>1/2 Ekso, 1/3 Active Control, 0 Passive Control, p < 0.05). Improvements in secondary outcome measures were not significant.

conclusionsTwelve weeks of exoskeleton robotic training in chronic SCI participants with independent stepping ability at baseline can improve clinical ambulatory status. Improvements in raw gait speed were not statistically significant at the group level, which may guide future trials for participant inclusion criteria. While generally safe and tolerable, larger gains in ambulation might be associated with higher risk for non-serious adverse events.

Indexed as

Exoskeleton DeviceRoboticsRobotic Surgical ProceduresSpinal Cord InjuriesExercise TherapyGaitHumansWalking

Identifiers

PMID35094007
PMCPMC9209325
OpenAlexW4210379413

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.