The clinical experience gained from the rehabilitation of standing and locomotion of over 200 paraplegics by using the Louisiana State University--Reciprocating Gait Orthosis (LSU-RGO) powered with electrical muscle stimulation is described. The details of a study conducted on 70 consecutively admitted paraplegics is highlighted, showing that the orthosis can be fitted successfully to patients with contractures of hip, knee, and ankle and with varying degrees of spasticity, age, level of injury, and time since injury. In general, the fitting and training of paraplegics in the use of the orthosis was implemented successfully in 75% of the cases admitted, producing improvement in various metabolic functions and psychological aspects, despite the fact that the system did not replace the wheelchair and was limited to specific daily functions that were adopted by each patient according to his objectives.

electrical stimulation, orthotics, paraplegia, rehabilitation, spinal cord injury
This content is only available as a PDF.