A wheelchair user from Co Down has described as "incredible" the awareness of movement and sensation felt when using a robotic exoskeleton device.
It comes as a new study from researchers at Dublin City University (DCU) shows that for long-term users, robotic exoskeleton walking provides essential emotional and social benefits that are as important as the physical gains.
Exoskeletons are wearable devices that act as an external skeleton for the operator.
They help users with chronic paralysis by providing power assistance for standing and walking, which improves mobility and helps prevent secondary complications that full-time wheelchair users experience.
40-year-old Wayne Garrett injured his spinal cord in a motorbike collision in 2016 and has been a full-time wheelchair user since.
He has been taking part in the DCU exoskeleton programme since 2019.
Mr Garrett said that after his crash, he struggled with really bad muscle spasms, but the exoskeleton walking has been a huge help to him.
He also feels there is less need for medication now because of it.
"What's incredible is that I went from having no sensation in my legs to now having an awareness of movement and even some sensation when I'm using the device," he said.
He said that as a regular wheelchair user, being able to stand up and walk again with the exoskeleton is the closest he has felt to feeling back to normal.
The exoskeletons can cost from €50,000 to €200,000 each.
A typical session at DCU would last about an hour with 30 to 40 minutes of walking.
The research, published in the international journal, Disability and Rehabilitation, was conducted by the DCU Exoskeleton Programme team.
It explored the patient perspective of expert users, people who have completed more than 24 sessions.
Researcher and programme lead Ronan Langan said the research confirms that for long-term users, the impact of robotic exoskeleton walking goes far beyond just the physical.
He said the strongest finding was the profound psychological benefit and the feeling of normality again.
Mr Langan said the findings also confirm that engaging in regular exoskeleton walking can motivate users to engage in additional health seeking behaviours, ensuring they are in good shape to use it, through extra physical activity outside of the sessions.
