The Lokomat is a new robotic treadmill that was built to help people who have neurologic conditions walk better. Early research with children with cerebral palsy shows that it may help to improve their walking skills. However, the Lokomat has never been compared to usual physiotherapy that focuses on walking abilities and functional skills in children with CP.
The main goal of the study is to determine if ambulatory children with CP improve their walking ability and gait-related gross motor skills following 16 sessions of intensive gait training program using a robotic locomotion therapy. This is being compared to an equivalent time period program of functional walking-based physiotherapy. One additional part of the study is an interview component with some of the parents and children in the study that is focused on learning about their experiences and expectations with the Lokomat.