Exoskeletons could help people with spinal cord injury improve their bowel function, new research has revealed.
Physical intervention plans which included exoskeleton-assisted walking were shown to help people with SCI evacuate more efficiently and improved the consistency of their stool.
Rehabilitation professionals have traditionally managed bowel dysfunction using approaches that target the gastrointestinal system or require manual intervention, but some newer research suggests that physical activity and upright posture may enhance bowel motility.
However, few studies have explored the possibility that exoskeletal-assisted walking – in which a person with spinal cord injury wears a robotic suit, enabling them to stand and walk – may be an effective addition to existing intervention plans.
“We saw a notable reduction in bowel evacuation time, with 24 per cent of participants reporting an improved experience,” says Dr Gail Forrest, co-author and associate director of the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research at Kessler Foundation.
“We also noted that participants’ stools trended toward better consistency, supporting our hypothesis that this intervention may improve several measures of bowel function.”
“Our results support the idea that walking, and not just standing, may have a beneficial effect on bowel function,” said Dr Peter Gorman, co-author and chief of the Division of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Institute.
“Our goal is to improve the quality of life of those with chronic spinal cord injury, and these encouraging results will help inform future studies on the emerging field of mobility intervention.”
Bowel dysfunction is a common experience after spinal cord injury, and can lead to chronic constipation and incontinence, causing discomfort and frustration.
In one survey, more than a third of men with spinal cord injury reported that bowel and bladder dysfunction had the most significant effect on their lives post-injury.
In this study, the research team investigated whether exoskeletal-assisted walking improved bowel function in people with chronic spinal cord injury.
They performed a three-centre, randomised, controlled, crossover clinical trial in which 50 participants completed 36 sessions of exoskeletal-assisted walking.
The researchers evaluated bowel function as a secondary outcome in 49 participants. Bowel function was measured via a ten question bowel function survey, the Bristol Stool Form Scale, and the Spinal Cord Injury Quality of Life Bowel Management Difficulties instrument.
Results showed that the exoskeletal-assisted walking program provided some improvement in bowel function when compared to a control group.
