The two exoskeletons delivered to Parc Taulí are for the rehabilitation of patients with rare neuromuscular diseases. In this way, the care of people with these diseases is strengthened, with the aim of reducing their disability and improving their quality of life.
With these two tools, the team of professionals from the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation service will have more help for the rehabilitation of these people with neuromuscular disorders. The bilateral device is developed by the Catalan company ABLE Human Motion, it integrates the structure with two motors in the hips and knees, powered by two batteries and a software that controls the movements and collects the data of each session. And the unilateral (ReStore Exo-Suit) has been developed by ReWalk Robotics.
Physiotherapists monitor and accompany the patient during the rehabilitation session with the exoskeletons. They are the ones who control the machine, deciding when the session can start, the speed or stop, to guarantee the patient's safety.
For two weeks, the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Electromedicine teams at Parc Taulí have been trained to be able to use these two devices as soon as possible, with adult patients with gait disorders, who meet inclusion criteria and who suffer from rare neuromuscular diseases. As well as other patients with spinal cord involvement, Multiple Sclerosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, ALS, Myelopathies and Neuropathies. In the case of the unilateral exoskeleton, its use is planned for patients with hemiplegia or hemiparesis, as a result, for example, of a stroke with predominant ankle involvement.
The director of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation service, Fernanda Caballero, highlights that “With these two devices, they have a robotic tool to help people with partial preservation or loss of the ability to walk to reduce the complications that can arise from this loss. Thus, as always possible, to reeducate, enhance and maintain a more physiological gait pattern, extending their ability to stand and walk to the maximum, in order to maintain their independence and quality of life. However, it must be borne in mind that the use of the exoskeleton is a complement to rehabilitation therapy".
Exoskeletons are robotic devices that assist movement and allow gait training in people with loss of strength or mobility due to neuromuscular diseases. These devices have a direct impact on the quality of life of patients, as they contribute to preserving mobility, improving functional prognosis and reducing complications associated with immobility.
Minor Neuromuscular Diseases
They are chronic diseases that can manifest from early childhood to adulthood. They are characterized by weakness and loss of muscle tissue, but can also be associated with other symptoms such as fatigue, pain, numbness and blindness, difficulty swallowing, breathing difficulties and heart disease.
Most neuromuscular diseases are progressive and debilitating, and lead to a reduction in life expectancy and quality of life.
Since 2020, Parc Taulí has had a Clinical Expertise Unit in rare neuromuscular diseases, designated by CatSalut.
The Department of Health, through CatSalut, purchased the 13 exoskeletons through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan financed by the European Union's Next Generation funds, which is part of the model of care for minority diseases in Catalonia, based on coordination between the different health devices under the umbrella of the networks of clinical expertise units (XUEC).
