Robots Used to Teach People with Cerebral Palsy to Walk

Called Lokomat therapy, the treatment uses a large robotic device to help those with cerebral palsy to walk. Results from a study showed an improvement in walking speed and motor functions after patients used Lokomat therapy.

Currently being used by Shriners Hospitals for Children, Lokomat therapy involves placing a patient in a harness suspended over a treadmill while a robotic leg harness simulates a natural walking motion. Used repeatedly, the motion strengthens leg muscles while computers measure the patient’s response to the movement, providing motivational cartoons that give the patient instructions.

Lokomat therapy can only be used by those with cerebral palsy older than four years of age.

Cerebral palsy impacts over 8,000 newborns every year and currently over 750,000 children and adults are diagnosed with cerebral palsy in the United States. Most of these individuals must rely on a walker or wheelchair for mobility. Therapists using Lokomat therapy are trying to reduce that dependency.

If you have questions about whether your child's cerebral palsy is the result of medical malpractice or negligence, contact the cerebral palsy attorneys of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a free review of your case.