Trial reportThe journal of spinal cord medicine2023
Feasibility, safety, and functional outcomes using the neurological controlled Hybrid Assistive Limb exoskeleton (HAL®) following acute incomplete and complete spinal cord injury - Results of 50 patients.
Trial report in The journal of spinal cord medicine, 2023. 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
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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, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of robot-assisted gait training on physical activity outcomes in people with spinal cord injury: A systematic review.Clinical rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of an exoskeleton robot on motor function in patients with spinal cord injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Hybrid Assistive Limb in orthopaedic rehabilitation: cybernic treatment developed in Japan for neuromotor functional restoration.International orthopaedics · 2026Review
- A multidimensional evaluation of the Atalante exoskeleton as an assistive locomotion device for individuals with complete paraplegia: a prospective longitudinal study in a controlled environment.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Robotic-Assisted Rehabilitation and Spinal Neuromodulation After Spinal Cord Injury: From Mechanisms to Trial-Informed Practice.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Hybrid assistive limb treatment for patients with severe cervical and thoracic myelopathy due to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament and ligamentum flavum: Feasibility, safety, and efficacy in the acute and chronic phases.The journal of spinal cord medicine · 2026Article
- Spinal Cord Injury 2.0: Bridging the Gap Between Neurobiology, Technology, and Hope in the Era of Precision Medicine.Stem cell reviews and reports · 2025Review
- State-of-the-Art in Robotic Rehabilitation for Spinal Cord Injury Patients: A Literature Review.Korean journal of neurotrauma · 2025Review
- Novel Gait Training with a Hybrid Assistive Limb Improved Delayed Progressive Spastic Paraplegia After a Lightning Strike.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Analyzing gait data measured by wearable cyborg hybrid assistive limb during assisted walking: gait pattern clustering.Frontiers in medical technology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveRecent studies reveal that Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL®) locomotion training in paraplegic patients suffering from chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) induces improvements in functional and ambulatory mobility. The purpose of this study was to determine the safety, feasibility, and functional effectiveness of HAL® locomotion training in the initial rehabilitation of acute SCI patients. This clinical trial represents the first systematic intervention worldwide for acute SCI patients using a neurologically controlled exoskeleton.
designSingle center, prospective study.
settingBG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany.
participantsFifty acute SCI patients (14 women, 36 men).
interventionsAll participants received a daily (5 times/week) HAL® exoskeleton supported training for 12 weeks (mean amount of training sessions 60.4 ± 30.08). OUTCOME MEASURES: Functional outcome for overground walking was monitored using the 10-m-walk test (10 MWT) combined with the WISCI II score, 6-minute-walk test (6 MWT) and the timed-up and go test (TUG test). Treadmill-related parameters (speed, distance and walking time) and the Lower Extremity Motor Score (LEMS) were recorded separately.
resultsSignificant improvements were observed for HAL®-associated (walking time, distance and speed) and for functional outcomes (10 MWT, 6 MWT and TUG-test). WISCI-II-Score and the LEMS increased significantly compared with the status prior to training.
conclusionHAL® locomotion training is feasible and safe in the rehabilitation of acute SCI patients. The HAL® exoskeleton enables the patient to perform effective treadmill training and leads to improvements in functional and ambulatory mobility. However, spontaneous recovery vs training-related effects remain unclear and findings should not be extrapolated beyond the acute in-patient rehabilitation setting.
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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.