Robotic Exoskeleton Rehabilitation for Duck Gait

"The first use of the term'multiple sclerosis' was in the early sixteenth century, and the term'multiple sclerosis' was never adopted as a standard English word. The most likely etymologies are Scandinavian, where it was known as SM, a shortening of smörja mig - (smörja = red, jag = me, mig = short person) and German and Latin'multa sibi' meaning'many to himself', from two things: (a) the idea that multiple sclerosis (or multiple sclerosis' (MS) is a disease whose cause is a "multa sibi" of itself. It may be that the term was used first in Sweden in the 13th and 14th centuries." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"A variety of signs are present in a minority of MS patients, who experience disease progression. These signs are not specific to MS, and other neurologic conditions need to be considered as the primary underlying etiology." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Some symptoms and signs of MS show gradual improvement with placebo, while other symptoms do not respond to placebo, leading to the belief that all MS symptoms are 'chronic' and the use of all active treatments. No treatment has yet been discovered for this condition." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Patients with multiple sclerosis experience mood disorders at nearly two times the rate of controls. These mood disorders are associated with other medical illnesses, disability, and other psychosocial factors." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"There is not yet evidence to suggest that a cure for MS exists, but most symptoms can be controlled with medication. MS patients require careful monitoring since new disease can begin shortly after an initial attack. There is strong evidence that the disease can be controlled in 95-99% of patients with disease-modifying treatments. Patients should be informed, though, about the possibility that new attacks are to occur in later years. Patients should also be told about the risk of permanent disability." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"There were an average of 57.5 cases per 100,000 persons in 1996 and 51 cases per 100,000 persons in 2006. The sex-difference rate was higher in the 1996 study than in the 2006 study (1.6 vs. 0.99 cases per 100,000 persons, respectively). Among women, the ratio of cases per 100,000 persons was 2.8 times higher in 1996 than in 2006. The overall prevalence rate among US residents declined significantly between 1996 and 2006 (26% vs. 8%; p<0.001). No significant difference is apparent in the age-specific prevalence rates in the two studies. The mean age of onset of MS in the two studies was 43 years." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Robotic exoskeleton has the potential to be a useful adjunct to rehabilitation in patients with MS. In a recent meta-analysis of clinical trials of exoskeleton-guided gait training, the greatest improvements in walking performance were achieved when the devices used were of the low-level type found in this review." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Clinicians in general may consider MS patients who are eligible to participate in clinical trials, because these clinical trials may yield beneficial findings for a subset of individuals who may benefit more from the interventions. Because patients have the option to participate in Phase II trials, patients who choose not to participate in a Phase II trial are probably unlikely to benefit from the intervention. Clinicians who consider treating patients with MS in clinical trials with oral and injectable therapies should consider a cost-benefit analysis and the potential for improved patient access of such therapies. Clinical trials for MS are worthwhile unless the benefits are small." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Overall, robot-assisted rehabilitation appears to be safe for patients with MS, particularly during their first two therapy sessions, even after the initial adjustments that clinicians make on the basis of patient perceptions." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"The incidence of MS in women is lower than in men. The peak onset of MS occurs at an earlier age than in men. The average age of diagnosis is higher in whites than in blacks. The incidence of MS in men is lower than in women. The average age of diagnosis is higher in blacks than in whites." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Robotic exoskeleton therapy is a reliable and effective rehabilitation method in patients with severe cervical spinal cord injuries. The recovery of the functional capacity was not dependent on the patient compliance in the use of the device, the number of rehabilitation sessions or the amount of exercise carried out per day." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Findings from a recent study suggest that patients improved significantly with the use of exoskeleton therapy over the rehabilitation that patients received alone after 1 year. Moreover, there was significant cost savings in the use of an exoskeleton after an MS hospitalization." - Anonymous Online Contributor