Evidence from this systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that pain sensitization is present in people with knee OA and may be associated with knee OA symptom severity.

Results are suggestive of dysfunctional EIH in response to aerobic and isometric exercise in knee OA patients with abnormal CPM, and normal function of EIH in knee OA patients with an efficient CPM response. Identification of people with knee OA with inefficient endogenous pain modulation may allow for a more individualized and graded approach to exercises in these individuals.

Nerve palpation of the femoral, common peroneal, and sciatic nerves using pressure algometry demonstrated good to excellent reliability, whereas the tibial nerve PPTs showed moderate to good reliability. Manual palpation measurements demonstrated fair to moderate reliability.

Background: Stroke is a disease with a high associated disability burden. Robotic-assisted gait training offers an opportunity for the practice intensity levels associated with good functional walking outcomes in this population. Neural interfacing technology, electroencephalography (EEG), or electromyography (EMG) can offer new strategies for robotic gait re-education after a stroke by promoting more active engagement in movement intent and/or neurophysiological feedback. Objectives: This study identifies the current state-of-the-art and the limitations in direct neural interfacing with robotic gait devices in stroke rehabilitation. Methods: A pre-registered systematic review was conducted using standardized search operators that included the presence of stroke and robotic gait training and neural biosignals (EMG and/or EEG) and was not limited by study type. Results: From a total of 8,899 papers identified, 13 articles were considered for the final selection. Only five of the 13 studies received a strong or moderate quality rating as a clinical study. Three studies recorded EEG activity during robotic gait, two of which used EEG for BCI purposes. While demonstrating utility for decoding kinematic and EMG-related gait data, no EEG study has been identified to close the loop between robot and human. Twelve of the studies recorded EMG activity during or after robotic walking, primarily as an outcome measure. One study used multisource information fusion from EMG, joint angle, and force to modify robotic commands in real time, with higher error rates observed during active movement. A novel study identified used EMG data during robotic gait to derive the optimal, individualized robot-driven step trajectory. Lennon et al. Stroke: Neural Interfaced Robotic Walking Conclusions: Wide heterogeneity in the reporting and the purpose of neurobiosignal use during robotic gait training after a stroke exists. Neural interfacing with robotic gait after a stroke demonstrates promise as a future field of study. However, as a nascent area, direct neural interfacing with robotic gait after a stroke would benefit from a more standardized protocol for biosignal collection and processing and for robotic deployment. Appropriate reporting for clinical studies of this nature is also required with respect to the study type and the participants' characteristics.

Robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) devices allow intensive high repetition of the gait cycle in individuals with locomotor disability, with reduced therapist effort. In addition to usual rehabilitation, RAGT post-stroke improves the likelihood of regaining independent walking, with maximum efficacy identified in the acute and subacute phases of stroke. This study explores the usability and acceptance of RAGT among persons with stroke in an acute hospital setting and examines users’ perceptions of two different modes of robotic assistance provided during rehabilitation. A mixed-methods approach comprised semi-structed interviews of end-user perspectives of RAGT in an acute hospital setting following stroke and two 10-point Likert scales rating how comfortable and how natural robotic gait felt using different assistance modes. Content analysis of qualitative data was undertaken with results synthesised by common meaning units. Quantitative data were reported using summary statistics, with Spearmann’s correlation co-efficient examining the relationship between Likert scale ratings and measures of participants’ stroke related disability. Ten individuals (6 men; 4 women; mean age of 64.5. ± 13 years) were recruited in an acute hospital setting following admission with a stroke diagnosis. Content analysis of interview transcripts identified discussion units centring around positive aspects of how helpful the device was, negative aspects related to set-up time, weight of the device and multiple instructions delivered during use. Initially participants identified that the device could look intimidating, and they feared falling in the device but they subsequently identified the correct mindset for using the device is to trust the technology and not be afraid. Mean ratings for device comfort (7.94 ± 1.4) and how natural walking felt (7.05 ± 1.9) were favourable. Interestingly, a strong relationship was identified, whereby the higher the level of disability, the more natural participants rated walking in the device during maximal assistance mode (rho = 0.62; p = 0.138). This study suggests individuals in the early phases of stroke perceive RAGT to be acceptable and helpful in the main, with some associated negative aspects. Walking in the device was rated as comfortable and natural. Those with greater disability rated the assisted walking as more natural.

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Background: Robotic gait devices allow intensive high repetition of the gait cycle in individuals with locomotor disability, with reduced therapist effort. The addition of robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) to usual rehabilitation post-stroke improves the likelihood of regaining independent walking, with maximum efficacy identified in the acute and subacute phases of stroke. The study explores the usability and acceptance of RAGT among persons with stroke in an acute hospital setting and examines users’ perceptions of two different modes of robotic assistance provided during rehabilitation. Methods: A mixed-methods approach comprised semi-structed interviews of end-user perspectives of RAGT in an acute hospital setting following stroke and two 10-point Likert scales rating how comfortable and how natural robotic gait felt using different assistance modes. Content analysis of qualitative data was undertaken with results synthesised by common meaning units. Quantitative data were reported using summary statistics, with Spearmann’s correlation co-efficient examining the relationship between Likert scale ratings and measures of participants’ stroke related disability. Results: Ten individuals (6 men; 4 women; mean age of 64.5. ±13 years) were recruited from an acute hospital following admission with a stroke diagnosis. Content analysis of interviews identified discussion units centring around positive aspects of the device related to how helpful the device was, negative aspects related to set-up time, weight of the device and multiple instructions during use. Initially participants identified that the device could look intimidating and that they feared falling in the device but subsequently identified the correct mindset for using the device is to trust the technology and not be afraid. Mean ratings of device comfort (7.94 ± 1.4) and how natural walking felt (7.05 ± 1.9) were favourable. Interestingly, a strong relationship was identified, whereby the higher the level of disability, the more natural participants rated walking in the device in maximal assistance mode (rho =0.62). Conclusions: This study suggests individuals in the early phases of stroke perceive RAGT to be acceptable and helpful in the main, with some associated negative aspects. The device was rated as comfortable and natural to use and those with greater disability rate the assisted walking was more natural.

Background Robotic gait devices allow intensive high repetition of the gait cycle in individuals with locomotor disability, with reduced therapist effort. The addition of robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) to usual rehabilitation post-stroke improves the likelihood of regaining independent walking, with maximum efficacy identified in the acute and subacute phases of stroke. The study explores the usability and acceptance of RAGT among persons with stroke in an acute hospital setting and examines users’ perceptions of two different modes of robotic assistance provided during rehabilitation. MethodsA mixed-methods approach comprised semi-structed interviews of end-user perspectives of RAGT in an acute hospital setting following stroke and two 10-point Likert scales rating how comfortable and how natural robotic gait felt using different assistance modes. Content analysis of qualitative data was undertaken with results synthesised by common meaning units. Quantitative data were reported using summary statistics, with Spearmann’s correlation co-efficient examining the relationship between Likert scale ratings and measures of participants’ stroke related disability. Results Ten individuals (6 men; 4 women; mean age of 64.5. ±13 years) were recruited from an acute hospital following admission with a stroke diagnosis. Content analysis of interviews identified discussion units centring around positive aspects of the device related to how helpful the device was, negative aspects related to set-up time, weight of the device and multiple instructions during use. Initially participants identified that the device could look intimidating and that they feared falling in the device but subsequently identified the correct mindset for using the device is to trust the technology and not be afraid. Mean ratings of device comfort (7.94 ± 1.4) and how natural walking felt (7.05 ± 1.9) were favourable. Interestingly, a strong relationship was identified, whereby the higher the level of disability, the more natural participants rated walking in the device in maximal assistance mode (rho =0.62). ConclusionsThis study suggests individuals in the early phases of stroke perceive RAGT to be acceptable and helpful in the main, with some associated negative aspects. The device was rated as comfortable and natural to use and those with greater disability rate the assisted walking was more natural.