In Haute-Saône, an exoskeleton helps people with disabilities to walk again

It’s a miracle that just happened for Chantal. In a wheelchair for 6 months following compression of the spinal cord, this patient from the Héricourt rehabilitation center once again puts one foot in front of the other. And this thanks to the exoskeleton, a robot that wraps the legs and reproduces the movement of walking. This revolutionary motorized device relearns the brain and muscles to work together. “After a prolonged period of immobilization, something is lost. So we install the patient in the exoskeleton so that he does not forget this walking pattern”, explains Jean-Philippe Ehny, doctor in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Another advantage of this device: the patient regains muscle tone. “The verticalization will use muscles that were no longer. It is time to gain for the patient”, specifies Antoine Manière, adapted physical activity teacher. After 600 steps taken during the fifth session, Chantal’s progress is indeed noticeable. “With adapted physiotherapy sessions, you can feel the progress. It helps a lot”, testifies the sexagenarian. Chantal is one of the 20 patients at the Héricourt center to benefit from this ultramodern tool which helps a return to autonomy.

In France, few rehabilitation centers have this technology, which costs nearly 160,000 euros.