<p> The purpose of this study was to evaluate energy expenditure (EE) during powered exoskeleton–assisted walking in persons with paraplegia. Five male participants with paraplegia, aged 37–61 years, were recruited for this study. Able–bodied (AB) subjects were matched for height (±12.7 cm) weight (±6.8 kgs) and age (±5 yrs) were recruited to serve as a control group. EE measurements were obtained for 6 minutes while: seated, standing, walking, and seated recovery for three trials (Pre, Mid, Post) over 60 sessions. A portable metabolic cart was used to obtain all metabolic measurements. The results from this study suggest that over the course of 60 sessions, powered exoskeletal–assisted walking can: significantly improve an individual's oxygen consumption (p=0.04), significantly decrease RPE (p<0.001), and significantly increase the distance traveled per 6MWT (p=0.02). These improvements may potentially further enhance the quality of life of persons with paraplegia. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1553060 |
| Date | 08 April 2014 |
| Creators | Knezevic, Steven |
| Publisher | The William Paterson University of New Jersey |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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