Martin Niedermeier, Larissa Ledochowski, Andreas Mayr, Leopold Saltuari, Martin Kopp
Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, AT-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. E-mail: martin.niedermeier@uibk.ac.at
DOI: 10.2340/16501977-2201

Objective: To examine the immediate effects of physical therapy and robotic-assisted gait training on affective responses of gait training in neurological rehabilitation.
Design: Randomized crossover trial with blinded observers.
Patients: Sixteen patients with neurological disorders (stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis).
Methods: All patients underwent 2 single treatment sessions: physical therapy and robotic-assisted gait training. Both before and after the treatment sessions, the self-report Mood Survey Scale was used to assess the effects of the treatment on distinct affective states. The subscales of the Mood Survey Scale were tested for pre–post changes and differences in effects between treatments, using non-parametric tests.
Results: Fourteen participants completed the study. Patients showed a significant increase in activation (r = 0. 55), elation (r = 0. 79), and calmness (r = 0. 72), and a significant decrease in anger (r = 0. 64) after robotic-assisted gait training compared with physical therapy.
Conclusion: Affective responses might be positively influenced by robotic-assisted gait training, which may help to overcome motivational problems during the rehabilitation process in neurological patients.

Intrinsic motivation can be considered as a key factor of successful rehabilitation after neurological incidents. Emotions occurring during treatment sessions might influence intrinsic motivation. Thus, we measured immediate emotional responses of physical therapy and robotic assisted gait training in 16 patients with neurological disorders. Compared to physical therapy, the patients showed higher positive emotional responses after robotic assisted gait training. It appeared that emotional responses are positively influenced by robotic assisted gait training, which may help to overcome motivational problems during the rehabilitation process in neurological patients.