Functional Mobility Outcomes Following Robotic-Assisted Gait Training with Rise&Walk® in Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation: A Retrospective Pilot Study

Background: Robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) may enhance mobility recovery after stroke, but real-world inpatient data on clinical implementation remain limited. Objective: To evaluate whether integration of the Rise&Walk® end-effector robotic system improves functional mobility outcomes compared to conventional therapy in an inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit. Methods: This retrospective cohort study reviewed charts of stroke inpatients admitted between June and December 2024 at a regional inpatient rehabilitation facility. Patients who received robotic-assisted therapy with the Rise&Walk system (n = 13) were compared to those who received standard-of-care physical therapy (n = 32), hereafter the Standard Care group. Rise&Walk participants received 2–8 sessions per stay (mean: 4.2). Outcomes included seven Section GG mobility items, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT) at comfortable and fast speeds. Ordinal logistic regression models adjusted for baseline scores estimated cumulative odds of improvement on GG items. Due to small sample sizes (Rise&Walk: n = 5, Standard Care: n = 9), BBS and 10MWT results are reported descriptively. Summed Section GG gains were compared to a ≥16-point threshold for clinically meaningful improvement. Results: The Rise&Walk group showed greater odds of improvement on all GG mobility items, with statistically significant effects for Chair-to-Bed Transfer (cumulative odds ratio [cOR] = 18.4, p = .009), Walk 10 Feet (cOR = 6.8, p = .025), and Walk 50 Feet + 2 Turns (cOR = 7.7, p = .011). Other items showed large but non-significant effects (e.g., Sit-to-Stand: cOR = 13.3, p = .053). Clinically meaningful GG gains (≥16 points) occurred in 12 of 13 Rise&Walk participants (92%) versus 17 of 32 in the Standard Care group (53%) ( p = .017). Although underpowered for hypothesis testing, descriptive results for BBS and 10MWT favored Rise&Walk: BBS improvement was 24.4 ± 14.9 vs. 18.3 ± 11.4 points; 10MWT gains were 0.35 vs. 0.23 m/s (comfortable) and 0.54 vs. 0.31 m/s (fast). Conclusions: Use of the Rise&Walk system was associated with greater mobility gains than standard therapy. These findings support feasibility and potential benefit of robotic gait training in inpatient rehabilitation and warrant confirmation in randomized trials.