Meeting the 2023 National Clinical Guideline for Stroke with the Lokomat

In the third blog in our series looking at the National Clinical Guideline for Stroke, we’re highlighting the Lokomat by Hocoma.

The 2023 Stroke Guidelines defines recommended best practices within stroke care in the UK, providing much-needed updates to recommendations on rehabilitation, psychological and emotional support, and return to work services, amongst many other changes.

In light of these recommendations, we’re reviewing all our clinical solutions and sharing the ways in which these meet the 2023 guidelines. This is to help clinicians assess the rehabilitation technology we offer and how these devices can support patients recovering from a stroke, as well as support the stroke services offering this rehabilitation.

This week we’re looking at the Lokomat, a robotic electromechanical gait trainer that combines dynamic body weight support with robotic orthoses. The Lokomat is designed to provide intense, repetitive and motivating gait rehabilitation to patients with severe to moderate impairments in walking abilities and functional mobility.

The Lokomat is used by some of the UK’s leading rehabilitation facilities, such as the NHS University Hospitals Dorset Acute Stroke Unit, Cleveland Clinic London, Ascot Rehab and the Wellington Hospital.

Missed part one? Check out how the ROBERT® meets the National Clinical Guideline for Stroke. Missed part two? Check out the Hocoma Erigo.

About the Lokomat

The Lokomat is a state-of-the-art robotic rehabilitation device which enables intensive gait training for severely impaired patients – even those who can’t move their lower limbs at all. The Lokomat features a robotic exoskeleton, dynamic body weight support, a treadmill, and Augmented Performance Feedback using interactive game-like exercises for optimal patient challenge and motivation.

There are three varieties of Lokomat:

• LokomatNanos
• LokomatPro
• LokomatPro Sensation

The device is individually adjustable to each patient, ensuring their safety and comfort during training. Speed, loading and the amount of robotic support given can also be adjusted, which tailors the intensity of each session to each patient. Each patient has their own profile which tracks their progress and therapy goals.

Patients can complete hundreds or even thousands of steps per session, compared to traditional manual physiotherapy. This will make a huge difference not only to a patient’s rehabilitation and progress, but also their quality of life and confidence. Intensive repetitive rehabilitation at an earlier stage in a patient’s recovery also helps patients be discharged sooner and recover earlier at home.

The Lokomat is developed by Hocoma and distributed in the UK by Summit Medical and Scientific. Read more about the Lokomat here.

Meeting the 2023 Stroke Guidelines

 

So how does the Lokomat robotic rehabilitation device meet the National Clinical Guideline for Stroke?

1. The Lokomat helps rehabilitation facilities offer intensive walking training through treadmills or electromechanical gait trainers.

2. People who can’t walk independently should be considered for electromechanical-assisted gait training, including body weight support.

3. The Lokomat helps to provide three hours of multidisciplinary team therapy a day.

4. People with weakness should be taught task-specific, repetitive, intensive exercises or activities to increase their strength.

5. The Lokomat provides games and exercises to offer patients competition, improving motivation to practice self-directed rehabilitation.

6. People with stroke should be offered cardiorespiratory training or mixed training.

7. The Lokomat helps to deliver a range of individualised one-to-one therapies, structured semi-supervised practice and group work.

Get in touch with Summit Medical and Scientific today to discuss integrating the Lokomat into your clinical practice.

About Summit Medical and Scientific

Summit Medical and Scientific are passionate about the power of rehabilitation technology.

We represent clinical technology leaders Hocoma, Motek and Life Science Robotics to provide the total solution for rehabilitation in the UK. Our partners have developed innovative therapy devices using robotics, sensors and virtual reality for early and acute rehabilitation, gait and balance therapy, arm and hand therapy, body weight support and more. View all of our clinical solutions here.

Get in touch with Summit Medical and Scientific today to find out more about incorporating state-of-the-art rehabilitation technology into your practice. You can contact us via email, phone (01372 459863) or our website contact page.

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