Robotic Gait Training For Indiviuals With Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis

Publication date: Available online 24 July 2017
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): Igor da Silveira Carvalho, Sérgio Medeiros Pinto, Daniel das Virgens Chagas, Jomilto Luiz Praxedes dos Santos, Tainá de Sousa Oliveira, Luiz Alberto Batista
ObjectiveTo identify the effects of robotic gait training practices in individuals with cerebral palsy.Data SourcesThe search was performed in the following electronic databases: PubMed, EMBASE (Excerpta Medical), MEDLINE (OvidSP), CDSR (Cochrane database of systematic reviews), Web of Science, Scopus, Compendex, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Academic Search Premier, and PEDro.Study SelectionStudies were included if they fulfilled the following criteria: (1) they investigated the effects of robotic gait training, (2) they involved patients with cerebral palsy, and (3) they enrolled patients classified between levels I and IV using the Gross Motor Function Classification System.Data ExtractionThe information was extracted from the selected articles using the descriptive-analytical method. The "Critical Review Form for Quantitative Studies" was used to quantitate the presence of critical components in the articles. To perform the meta-analysis, the effects of the intervention were quantified by effect size (Cohen's d).Data SynthesisOf the 133 identified studies, 10 met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed positive effects on gait speed (0.21 [-0.09, 0.51]), endurance (0.21 [-0.06, 0.49]), and gross motor function in dimension D (0.18 [-0.10, 0.45]) and dimension E (0.12 [- 0.15, 0.40]).ConclusionThe results obtained suggest that this training benefits people with cerebral palsy, specifically by increasing walking speed and endurance and improving gross motor functions. For future studies, we suggest investigating device configuration parameters and conducting a large number of randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and individuals with homogeneous impairment.



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