| Objective: Meta-analysis was used to explore the effect of a lower extremity exoskeleton robot on the spatio-temporal gait of stroke patients. Method: The domestic and foreign databases for randomized controlled studies of lower limb exoskeleton robots on gait function recovery in stroke patients were searched. Step length, step speed, cadence, step width, walking cycle, and gait phase were used as outcome indicators. The Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0 was used as a bias risk assessment tool, and the modified Jadad scale was used to evaluate the quality of the included literature. Statistical analysis was performed using Revmen 5.4 and Stata 17.0 software.Results: A total of 15 articles with 713 patients were included. Meta-analysis revealed a significant difference in merger effect between the experimental group and the control group: the step length ［MD = 2.61,95% CI: (1.79,3.44)］, step speed ［MD=0.08,95% CI: (0.07,0.09)］, cadence ［MD=6.10,95% CI: (3.67,8.53),P=0.0001］,step width［MD=-2.22,95% CI:(-2.93,-1.51),P<0.0001］, and gait phase ［MD=-0.08,95% CI: (-0.11,-0.06),P<0.0001］. There was no significant difference in the walking cycle between the two groups ［MD=-0.01,95% CI: (-0.37,0.35),P=0.94］. The results of the subgroup analysis showed that the platform-based training robot improved step length, step speed, and cadence compared to the control group. The lower limb exoskeleton robot had a good intervention effect on patients with a disease duration of less than 6 months, and the effect was more pronounced when the treatment period prolonged. Conclusion: Lower-limb exoskeleton robots can better improve temporal and spatial gait parameters and walking ability in stroke patients. |
