Study on plantar pressure in overground gait rehabilitation system that may facilitate return to work

Abstract Background This study is focused on the investigation of advanced technology with potential involvement in the process of rehabilitation of working–age patients with orthopedic and neurologic disabilities. The main advantages of the use of advanced technology are related to decrease in recovery time and increase in return-to-work rate. This study addresses the biomechanics of walking and compares different gait sessions with RELIVE system. The purpose is to highlight the effect on the plantar pressure changes the system has during these sessions. Methods The study was realized on 15 healthy, disability-free subjects tested in 6 walking sessions. All the selected sessions were characterized by one particular characteristic, walking with hands on the handrail, and each participant had to perform three walks during each session. The F-Scan device from Tekscan (research software version), attached to the participants’ belt was used to record the plantar pressure for each of the 18 walks. Results When walking with hands on the handrail, with 20% body weight offload, the average pressure values were lower with the alternator turned on compared to the seasons with the alternator turned off. Additionally, the body weight offloading of the participants determined by the body weight support subsystem resulted in decreased average pressure values with each percentage of unloaded body weight. Conclusion The unloading of the participants' weight was obtained by the body weight support subsystem. In all gait sessions studied, a drawback is represented by the interferences between the alternator and the body weight support subsystem. Therefore, is mandatory to find a solution for the interference between these two systems to assure a better gait training. Thus, a good alternative for conventional rehabilitation of working-age patients could be RELIVE system.