"Stepping forward" wearable overground exoskeletons can improve gait and balance in people with cerebral…

ReviewDisability and rehabilitation· Jun 2026

"Stepping forward" wearable overground exoskeletons can improve gait and balance in people with cerebral palsy: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Nicola Postol, Darryl Chiu, Wesley Bobby-Joy … Petra Karlsson

Pediatric Rehabilitation MedicineReviewTreatmentQ1IF 3.0

Overground exoskeleton training linked to faster walking speed in cerebral palsy

"Stepping forward" wearable overground exoskeletons can improve gait and balance in people with cerebral palsy: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Nicola Postol … Petra Karlsson

Disability and rehabilitation · Jun 2026 · Q1 in Rehabilitation

Purpose

This review evaluates the effects of wearable overground exoskeleton-assisted therapy for people with cerebral palsy.

Methods

Following PRISMA guidelines, Medline, PsychInfo, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL, were searched in July 2025.

n = 241 participants

Results

Average walking speed increased by 0.11 m/s after exoskeleton training versus before.

MD by subgroup · 95% CI

More results

Twenty-one studies of overall good quality met inclusion criteria, with 241 participants (median age 9.6 years, range 3-40).

Other outcomes were inconsistently reported, limiting recommendations.

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

Emerging evidence supports wearable overground exoskeleton-assisted therapy for balance, endurance, speed, and high-level mobility for people with cerebral palsy.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

Future studies should evaluate user experience, and a broader range of measures to fully capture potential benefits. UNLABELLED: Review registration: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF. IO/EPWSK.

"Stepping forward" wearable overground exoskeletons can improve gait and balance in people with cerebral palsy: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

"Stepping forward" wearable overground exoskeletons can improve gait and balance in people with cerebral palsy: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

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