The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center Rehabilitation Medicine Department said a mechanical exoskeleton it developed could help children fighting cerebral palsy improve their ability to walk by preventing them from overflexing their knees.
The department developed the exoskeleton for children to treat excessive bending of the knee while walking, a condition known as crouch gait, an NIH release said.
The release said that despite treatments that include shots into muscles, physical therapy, shoe inserts and operating on the knees, the overflexing of the knees continues to get worse and contributes to approximately 50 percent of adults battling cerebral palsy not having the power to walk.
The Rehabilitation Medicine Department experimented with the exoskeleton to find out if mechanical aid could lessen overflexing of the knees while walking, the release said.
