Lokomat helps the body relearn walking after spinal cord injury

Lokomat appears to greatly improve the quality of training sessions. It’s described as the first automated, driven orthosis that assists walking movements of gait-impaired patients on the treadmill. This automated process relieves therapists of the manual labour required during manual treadmill training, making the training sessions longer and more repeatable. The therapy is more efficient and the patients achieve their goals faster. Even in the early phases of the rehabilitation, one therapist can accomplish the training.

The basic version of Lokomat consists of the orthosis, a Woodway treadmill and a body weight support system. The orthosis is adjustable to the patient’s individual anatomy: hip width, length of upper and lower leg, size and position of the leg braces can be adjusted exactly to every adult. Specially designed leg braces prevent pressure sores. The orthosis is position controlled. The patient’s legs are guided according to a pre-programmed physiological gait pattern. The computer controlled guidance allows to adjusting different gait parameters individually. High quality computer-controlled motors are precisely synchronized with the speed of the treadmill. This sensitive system assures a precise match between the speed of the orthosis and the treadmill.

A swinging gate allows the therapist to easily remove of the Lokomat Robotic Gait Orthosis from the treadmill. This allows the simple conversion from automated to manually assisted training. The patient can be quickly wheeled on to the treadmill, lifted up, and adjusted into the orthosis.

The Lokomat system is the result of five years of intensive cooperation between the Balgrist University Hospital in Zurich and Hocoma, a German company. The company reports that the Lokomat is being used successfully in prestigious clinics worldwide and enjoys increasing popularity with patients and therapists alike.

For more information on the Lokomat system's use in Canada, visit the Centre for Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, located at Hamilton’s McMaster University (www.mcmaster.ca).