Moving forward: The future of walking after spinal cord injury

Abstract

Spinal cord injured patients have often limited walking ability. Early prediction of which patients will be able to walk is important for the rehabilitation process. A prediction rule had already been developed by the Radboudumc to predict who will walk. In this PhD thesis we tested this formula and it showed to be accurately. This way rehabilitation therapy can be tailored patient-specific. Patient-centered care! It is important to put the patient with first with technological advancements. For example, what do spinal cord injured patients think of an exoskeleton? Our research showed that patients consider it heavy, think that a wheelchair is faster, consider it a disadvantage of the exoskeleton that one needs to walk with crutches. In short, there are some improvements necessary before exoskeletons will replace wheelchairs in the future. But above all, doctors and researchers need to put the patient first regarding these technological advancements.