Gait rehabilitation is very important part of the therapy plan for patients with locomotor dysfunctions in the lower extremities. At at our Physical Therapy Unit, specific therapy for gait rehabilitation is performed by the Lokohelp end effector system. Being available only at limited number of rehabilitation centers around Turkey, the newly developed Lokohelp Woodway Robotic Rehabilitation System is at service of our patients who are severely affected after brain injury, stroke and spinal cord injury.

Robotic Rehabilitation is useful not only for patients who are not able to walk, but also for people with gait disorders as well as for those who lost their walking function after orthopedic surgical operation. Robotic rehabilitation can (i) replace the physical training effort of a therapist, allowing more intensive repetitive motions and delivering therapy at a reasonable cost, and (ii) assess quantitatively the level of motor recovery by measuring force and movement patterns.

The LokoHelp is an electromechanical device developed for improving gait after brain injury. The LokoHelp is placed in the middle of the Woodway treadmill surface parallel to the walking direction and fixed to the front of the treadmill with a simple clamp. It also provides a body weight support system for the patient. Clinical trials have been conducted to analyze its feasibility and efficacy and the results show that the system improves the gait ability of the patient in the same way as the manual locomotor training; however, using the LokoHelp less therapeutic assistance is required and therapist discomfort is reduced.

The goal of gait therapy is to re-train the nervous system, to re-build muscle strength, to improve balance and to re-train kinematics in order to reduce the stresses applied to bones and muscles. On the other hand, it helps the patient to return to the highest level of function and independence possible, while improving the overall quality of life – physically, emotionally, and socially. Gait rehabilitation following neurological injury has been shown to have many therapeutic benefits. Intensive training and exercise may enhance motor recovery or even restore motor function in people suffering from neurological injuries, such as spinal cord injury (SCI) and stroke.