Outcomes of gait trainer use in home and school settings for children with motor impairments: a systematic review

Objective: To summarize and critically appraise evidence regarding use of gait trainers (walkers providing trunk and pelvic support) at home or school with children who are unable to walk independently or with hand-held walkers. Data sources: Searches were performed in seven electronic databases including EBM Reviews, CINAHL, Medline and EMBASE for publications in English from database inception to November 2014. Review methods: Included studies involved at least one child with a mobility limitation and measured an outcome related to gait trainer use. Articles were appraised using American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine criteria for group and single-subject designs and quality ratings completed for studies rated levels I-III. The PRISMA statement was followed with inclusion criteria set a priori. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and full-text articles. Results: Seventeen studies involving 182 children were included. Evidence from one small randomized controlled trial suggests a non-significant trend toward increased walking distance while the other evidence level II study (concurrent multiple baseline design) reports increased number of steps. Two level III studies (non-randomized two-group studies) report statistically significant impact on mobility level with one finding significant impact on bowel function and an association between increased intervention time and bone mineral density. Remaining descriptive level evidence provides support for positive impact on a range of activity outcomes, with some studies reporting impact on affect, motivation and participation with others. Conclusions: Evidence supporting outcomes for children using gait trainers is primarily descriptive and, while mainly positive, is insufficient to draw firm conclusions.