ABSTRACT
Objective@#Gait impairment reduces a patient’s quality of life. Exoskeletons and wearable robotics enable patients with gait disturbance to stand up and walk. An exoskeleton was developed for use in patients with stroke and spinal cord injuries. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of overground exoskeleton-assisted gait training (OEGT) in spine diseases with gait disturbance. @*Methods@#This was a single-group preliminary study. Five participants with gait disorders because of root dysfunction accompanying spinal stenosis were included in this study. All participants underwent surgical treatment and an exoskeleton training protocol scheduled for 2 or 3 days per week for 4 weeks. Each session was 60 minutes. Clinical tests were performed before (T1) and at the end of the training (T2). @*Results@#One patient dropped out of the study because of medical issues that were not associated with the exoskeleton. Exoskeleton-assisted rehabilitation was feasible for all participants. All participants showed positive changes in gait performance, balance, proximal muscle strength, psychological state, and satisfaction with the rehabilitation. However, there was no significant improvement in neurological deficits. @*Conclusion@#OEGT is a feasible rehabilitation method for patients with gait disorders caused by degenerative spinal disease.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#A survey was conducted to investigate the role, priority, and awareness of physical therapists in the community care system for the elderly. @*Methods@#Nine hundred ninety-three physical therapists were invited to an online survey from 1st to 30th June 2020. @*Results@#While the awareness of physical therapists for the community care system for the elderly was found to be low, the role priority and performance ability were found to be high. Fall training scored the highest for the job duties of physical therapists, and functional training scored the highest for the performance ability of physical therapists. For the role priority by the education status regarding the community care system, the participants who received the education program showed higher scores in the performance ability than those who did not. For the role priority and performance ability according to the education levels, higher education levels resulted in higher scores in both outcomes. Regarding the clinical experience, low scores were found in the participants with less than five years of experience. @*Conclusion@#Physical therapy establishes itself as an essential area of expertise in the community care system for the elderly. Therefore, these results can be utilized in developing a model for Korean community care for the elderly.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#A survey was conducted to investigate the role, priority, and awareness of physical therapists in the community care system for the elderly. @*Methods@#Nine hundred ninety-three physical therapists were invited to an online survey from 1st to 30th June 2020. @*Results@#While the awareness of physical therapists for the community care system for the elderly was found to be low, the role priority and performance ability were found to be high. Fall training scored the highest for the job duties of physical therapists, and functional training scored the highest for the performance ability of physical therapists. For the role priority by the education status regarding the community care system, the participants who received the education program showed higher scores in the performance ability than those who did not. For the role priority and performance ability according to the education levels, higher education levels resulted in higher scores in both outcomes. Regarding the clinical experience, low scores were found in the participants with less than five years of experience. @*Conclusion@#Physical therapy establishes itself as an essential area of expertise in the community care system for the elderly. Therefore, these results can be utilized in developing a model for Korean community care for the elderly.