Novel Gait Training with a Hybrid Assistive Limb Improved Delayed Progressive Spastic Paraplegia After a Lightning Strike

This case report describes the use of a Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) in a 68-year-old man who developed progressive spastic paraplegia decades after being struck by lightning. The HAL is a wearable robotic exoskeleton designed to assist with walking. The man participated in a gait training program with the HAL, which was conducted over two sections, separated by a 6-month retention period. The study monitored his gait patterns and muscle activity before, during, and after the HAL training. The results suggest that HAL gait training may improve gait patterns in patients with delayed progressive spastic paraplegia. The training also appeared to inhibit abnormal muscle activation in the lower extremities.

• 1
  HAL gait training inhibited abnormal antagonistic muscle activation in the patient's lower extremities, particularly after the first training section.
• 2
  Repeated HAL gait training improved the patient's gait pattern, suggesting the potential for neurorehabilitation with HAL as an innovative treatment approach for delayed progressive spastic paraplegia.
• 3
  The study found that a longer intervention period might be recommended to facilitate better adaptation to HAL training and fully realize its benefits.