Comparison of Oxidative Energy Consumption during Walking Using the Walkabout and the Primewalk in Paraplegia

Medially single hip joint knee-ankle-foot orthosis (MSH-KAFO) such as the Walkabout or Primewalk is effective in restoring a stable standing posture in paraplegia. To evaluate the energy consumption of during walking with the Walkabout and the Primewalk, both using the FES system, T12 level complete paraplegic subject participated in this study. We measured oxygen consumption during self-selected comfortable walking MSH-KAFO and the L-walker. The oxidative energy consumption, walking velocities, step length and step cadence were calculated. The average speeds of walking were 16.7±1.6m/min with the Primewalk, 16.8±1.4m/min with the Walkabout, 18.3±0.3m/min with the Primewalk and FES, and 17.3±0.4m/min with the Walkabout and FES. No statistical differences were observed in step length when walking with or without FES were compared. The step cadence increased in MSH-KAFO+FES compared with MSH-KAFO. During Primewalk walking, energy consumption was significantly different (p<0.05) depending on whether FES was used or not. This study showed that the Primewalk using a multi-channel FES system was more effective in decreasing the effort of walking in paraplegic patients.