Exoskeleton: Robot-Like Treatments that Heal

In an effort to remain a leading specialist in pediatric rehabilitation, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is the first pediatric hospital in the U.S. to offer patients enhanced neuro-rehabilitation services through the use of Ekso Bionics' patented technology.

Children's is incorporating Ekso—a wearable robot or "exoskeleton"— into its Center for Advanced Technology and Robotic Rehabilitation to continue offering the latest technology to help children and teens recover from injuries or disorders that have hindered their motor skills.

The exoskeleton enables patients with lower-extremity paralysis or weakness to stand and walk with minimal assistance. Using motors and sensors, along with the patient's assistance with balance and positioning, the exoskeleton allows the child to walk over ground with an efficient, repetitive gait pattern, helping the body re-learn proper step pattern and weight shifts.

The exoskeleton can provide therapists with immediate feedback from each step the patient takes, showing how much work the machine is doing vs. how much work the child is doing.

Neuroplasticity is the adaptive capacity of the central nervous system to respond to repeated changes in stimuli, which it may do by reorganizing its structure, function or neural connections. This can help patients recovering from stroke, brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries to learn to walk again, with a proper gait pattern which may help to minimize compensatory behaviors.

Joshua Vova, MD, joins Melanie Cole, MS, to discuss exoskeleton treatment and the many benefits it provides.