Polysomnography in patients with spinal cord injury who underwent robotic assisted gait training

Obstructive sleep apnea in spinal cord injured (SCI) patients is an important but underestimated clinical problem. Spinal cord injury weakens the muscles responsible for breathing, resulting in a reduction in lung capacity. Training of respiratory muscles may present an effective method of increasing respiratory muscle strength and lung volume.The aim of study was to evaluate the effectiveness of robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) in 34 patients with SCI in sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) reduction.We conducted a control trail to compare RAGT (exoskeleton EKSO-GT or Locomat Pro) with conventional gait training using conventional physiotherapy with dynamic parapodium. We included patients with SCI (above T8 level of injury) recruited between 3 months and 2 years post injury. Polysomnographic studies were performed before and after the completion of the 7-week rehabilitation program. Patients were divided into 2 groups above and up 40 years old.The comparison of all polysomnographic parameters before and after rehabilitation with RAGT revealed the decline in all polysomnographic parameters (the apnea-hypopnea index – AHI; score reached statistically significant value – P < 0.02). In comparison in patients aged up to 40 years with conventional gait rehabilitation the number of apnoea’s and shortness of breath during sleep even increased: the AHI index increased after rehabilitation from 1.7 to 3.2 values.RAGT therapy should be considered as a therapeutic option for SDB reduction in patients after SCI. Additionally, the study identified the need to conduct further studies on larger groups of patients.