Disclosures: Alberto Esquenazi, MD: Allergan (Products/Services: Yes) (Consultant/Advisory Board, Research Grant includes principal investigator, collaborator or consultant and pending grants as well as grants already received)Ipsen (Products/Services: Yes, No) (Consultant/Advisory Board, Research Grant includes principal investigator, collaborator or consultant and pending grants as well as grants already received)Merz (Products/Services: Yes) (Research Grant includes principal investigator, collaborator or consultant and pending grants as well as grants already received)

Objective: The greatest recovery post stroke occurs within the first three months. This emphasizes the need for early intervention rehabilitative approach. Early Intensive therapy provides greater functional recovery. In this assessor blinded, randomized controlled trial we aim to 1). determine the feasibility of supplemental gait training in an inpatient rehabilitation facility and 2). compare the outcomes of using robotic (Lokomat®) vs. conventional gait exercises (CGE).

Design: Randomized single blind study.Setting : Inpatient rehabilitation facility.Participants : Thirty acute post-stroke participants with unilateral hemiparesis (≥ 18 years of age with a MAS ≤3).

Interventions: Randomly assigned to Lokomat or CGE (30 minutes, up to 4 days a week) intervention.

Main Outcome Measures: Number of sessions; adverse events; length of stay (LOS); functional independence measure (FIM motor) efficiency; functional ambulation category (FAC); passive range of motion (PROM); modified Ashworth scale (MAS); 5 times sit-to-stand (5x-STS); 10-meter walk test (10MWT); 2-minute walk test (2MWT) were assessed before (pre) and after training (post).

Results: Data were available from twenty-five subjects. Five participants (n= 3, Lokomat; n= 2, conventional) discontinued participation. Data were stratified by the trunk control test (TCT): low and high. In the low level, conventional group, there was a statistically difference post FIM, p = .042. In the high level, conventional group the 2MWT, 10MWT and FIM were statistically different post intervention (p = .018, .028, .012, respectively). In the high level Lokomat group the 2MWT, 10MWT, 5x-STS and FIM were statistically different post intervention (p = .018, .018, .011, .005, respectively).Conclusions: Training stroke patients in the acute phase who have a higher level of trunk control showed larger improvement than patients that had limited trunk control. The Lokomat group showed improvement with a fewer number of training sessions and may be a more efficient tool to train gait in this population.

Level of Evidence: Level I

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PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/a-comparison-between-the-lokomat-and-conventional-gait-exercises-as-supplemental-interventions-in-acute-stroke-rehabilitation-a-randomized-single-blind-study/