External Powered Orthoses for Paraplegic Subjects: A Meta Analysis Review

Abstract

Background . Various types of external powered orthoses have been designed to improve the function of paraplegic subjects; however it is not clear which one of them has better performance. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the function of available external powered orthoses based on the research presented in the relevant literature. Method . An electronic search was done via the Pubmed, Embase, and ISI Web of Knowledge data from 1960 to 2010. The quality of the research studies was evaluated by use of Black and Down tool. The performances of the orthoses are evaluated based on the gait analysis, stability analysis, and energy consumption analysis. Results . Although various types of external powered orthoses have been designed to improve the performance of spinal cord injury individuals, there are a few research studies in this regard. Moreover, they have a poor quality. Conclusion . There is no research study regarding the performance of spinal cord injury subjects with the external powered orthoses. It is recommended to do clinical trial studies to evaluate the performance of these orthoses.