Effect of the Kickstart exoskeleton lower extremity walking system on improving lower extremity walking ability in subacute stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial

作者：Chengpan Liang, Chunling Wan, Jinyu Yang, Xiaowen Shen, Yu Cui, Yi Shao, Pei Che, Yuting Zhang, Yongqiang Li · 发表于：Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12984-025-01676-y · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery、Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Robotics、Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention

Walking dysfunction is a primary cause of a reduced ability to perform activities of daily living and decreased quality of life in stroke patients. The Kickstart ® Walk assist system is portable and easy to don and remove. There is a lack of high-quality, randomized controlled trials to validate its effectiveness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Kickstart ® Walk Assist system in improving lower limb muscle strength and walking ability in stroke patients. Forty-six patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to either a control group ( n = 23) or a Kickstart group ( n = 23). Both groups received conventional rehabilitation therapy. In addition, patients in the Kickstart group wore the Kickstart ® Walk Assist system for 20 min, and patients in the control group received walking training for 20 min. The outcome measures included the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity Motor Function (FMA-LE), gait parameters, the 10MWT, the Borg Subjective Fatigue Scale (Borg), and surface electromyography (sEMG). Compared with the control group, the Kickstart group showed more significant improvements in FMA-LE at 4 and 8 weeks ( P = 0.025, P = 0.028), 10-MWT ( P = 0.256), Borg at 8 weeks ( P = 0.035), sEMG ( P < 0.05), and gait parameters ( P > 0.05). No adverse events were observed during or after the intervention. The Kickstart ® Walk assist system can increase stroke patients’ lower limb strength and motor function and improve their walking ability. This...