Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Podcast · Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy

Spinal Cord Injury SIG: Episode 22: Interview with Dr. Chad Swank and Dr. Dannae Arnold

November 16, 2025·47 min·2 clips
Maybe it's not one size fits all - ASIA C patients benefited from the exoskeleton while D patients did better with usual care.
Dr. Chad Swank and Dr. Danae Arnold discuss their landmark randomized controlled trial comparing robotic exoskeleton gait training to usual care for people with incomplete spinal cord injury during inpatient rehabilitation. While both groups improved equally overall, sub-analysis revealed ASIA C patients benefited more from exoskeletons while ASIA D patients did better with usual care, suggesting a personalized approach rather than one-size-fits-all.

As heard by us

A grounded SCI rehab discussion about exoskeletons, pain, and IRB reporting.

This episode stays close to the practical side of spinal cord injury rehab, where clinicians, researchers, and physicians have to sort through exoskeleton use, spasticity, neuropathic pain, and the real choices that come up in inpatient care.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want the clinic-to-research side of spinal cord injury rehab, not just the headline version.

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