The option to use exoskeletons in rehabilitation therapies is increasingly being explored by various specialized clinics. More and more clinicians are convincingly pointing out the positive benefits of using exoskeletons during therapies for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) patients. As a result, we see that the accessibility of exoskeletons for SCI patients is increasing, slowly but surely.

Although the medical implications of walking with an exoskeleton are more or less equal among patients, the emotional experience is often very personal. Standing up, taking steps, and walking on your own again is a very individual process. Some patients have reported that walking with an exoskeleton has greatly enhanced their quality of life, whereas other patients were done trying after the first time fitting the suit. We should not forget that operating an exoskeleton still requires a relatively good physique of the upper body and has been reported to be rather exhausting. Moreover, using an exoskeleton does not guarantee that you will immediately be able to make stable walks at all. It takes practice. You can quite literally compare this to learning how to cycle when you were young. Just stepping onto the bike and operating it like that, is almost impossible. Most commonly it goes hand in hand with at least a few falls, scratches, and bruises. Until the end, the activity has been learned by experience. The same kind of ‘training’ is needed for walking in an exoskeleton.

But if walking in an exoskeleton requires that much effort, time, and even brings along possible risks of falling, what exactly draws paraplegics towards the use of exoskeletons? Is it the promise of increased mobility, or is it the mere emotional impact of being at equal height with their peers? Perhaps the fascination with technology is the most important motive. Learn more about the various motivations and experiences of exoskeleton users in the next two readings referring to user testimonials.