PURPOSE: Activity-based Training (ABT) represents the current standard of neurological rehabilitation. Robotic Locomotor Training (RLT), an innovative technique, aims to enhance rehabilitation outcomes. This study aimed to conduct a randomized pilot and feasibility trial of a locomotor training program within South Africa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Individuals with chronic traumatic motor incomplete tetraplegia (n = 16). Each intervention involved 60-minute sessions, 3x per week, for 24-weeks. Outcomes included feasibility measures and functional capacity. RESULTS: 17 out of 110 individuals initiated the program (recruitment rate 15.4%) and 16 completed the program (drop-out rate 5.8%) and attended sessions (attendance rate 93.9%). Both groups showed a significant increase in upper extremity motor score (MS) and abdominal strength post intervention. Only the RLT group showed a significant change in lower extremity MS, with a mean increase of 3.00 (0.00 to 16.5) points over time. Distance walked in the Functional Ambulatory Inventory (SCI-FAI) increased significantly (p = 0.02) over time only for the RLT group. CONCLUSIONS: Feasibility rates of the intervention and functional outcomes justify a subsequent powered RCT comparing RLT to ABT as an effective rehabilitation tool for potentially improving functional strength and walking capacity in people with incomplete SCI.

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