Seoul Children's Hospital Provides Customized Treatment for Children with Gait Disorders Using State-of-the-Art Rehabilitation Robots

Analysis of Walking Patterns Using Precision Sensors for Children with Cerebral Palsy Followed by Repetitive Training
Rehabilitation Treatment Costs Set According to Health Insurance Coverage Standards ... Reduced Economic Burden

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] On the 3rd, Seoul Children's Hospital announced that it has introduced state-of-the-art rehabilitation robots to begin disease-specific customized rehabilitation treatment for children who have walking disabilities due to conditions such as cerebral palsy.

The newly introduced rehabilitation robot is the 'Lokomat Pro,' a robot-assisted gait therapy device developed by Swiss company Hocoma, a world-leading rehabilitation robot specialist, for the first time globally. It is the most widely used product worldwide for rehabilitation treatment of patients with brain diseases and has proven to be especially effective in restoring function in children with gait disabilities.

Robot-assisted gait therapy works by having the patient wear the rehabilitation robot equipment, which uses precise sensors to detect the patient's movements and guide them to perform normal walking motions. Compared to traditional gait training conducted by therapists, it allows for a much larger volume of repetitive training within the same time frame, performed accurately and safely, making the rehabilitation training highly effective.

In particular, various virtual reality programs tailored to each patient's treatment goals are provided on a monitor, allowing patients to walk on a treadmill while visually confirming their own gait patterns. Therapists can also provide immediate and accurate feedback. Training data from patients undergoing rehabilitation with the robot is automatically saved in real time, enabling precise evaluation of treatment progress through computerized records.

The Children's Hospital introduced the rehabilitation robot in August and conducted a two-month pilot operation. The 'Robot Gait Therapy Room,' located on the 2nd floor of the hospital's East Building in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, operates only on weekdays from Monday to Friday. Appointments can be made through the outpatient reception desk of the Rehabilitation Medicine Department.

Considering that gait rehabilitation treatment takes a long time, the hospital has set rehabilitation treatment fees according to the National Health Insurance coverage standards to reduce the economic burden on patients' families and encourage active use of rehabilitation services. Following the introduction of the lower limb rehabilitation robot, the hospital plans to gradually introduce advanced rehabilitation medical equipment such as upper limb exercise devices to provide high-quality public medical services.

Choi Jin-sook, director of the Children's Hospital, said, "We already pride ourselves on being the best in Korea in terms of scale and the provision of various high-level treatment programs in the pediatric disability rehabilitation field. With the introduction of this gait rehabilitation robot, we have created an opportunity to take a leap forward with cutting-edge rehabilitation services, and we will continue to play a leading role in pediatric rehabilitation to support the entire process from early rehabilitation of disabled children to their return to daily life."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.