Hybrid Assistive Limb
After a neurological injury or condition, your brain may still send signals to your muscles, even when movement feels difficult or impossible. The Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) helps eligible patients practice walking by building on those signals. Brooks Rehabilitation is one of the few rehabilitation centers nationwide that offers this advanced technology.
What is HAL?
HAL is a wearable robotic exoskeleton that detects bioelectric signals from your brain and helps turn them into movement. By combining your effort with robotic assistance, HAL may help you walk.
Small sensors placed on your skin detect the signals generated when you try to move your muscles. Even if those signals are very weak, HAL may be able to recognize them and help you move.
Unlike some robotic systems, HAL doesn’t move your legs for you. The hybrid assisted limb technology responds to your own muscle activity, helping you participate in each step.
Who HAL therapy helps
Hybrid assisted limb therapy is designed to work with any patient who has minimal movement available in their legs. HAL also helps those who have detectable bioelectric signals (BES) being transmitted to the skin of the lower extremities.
HAL therapy may help people with neurological conditions that affect walking, including:
- Cerebral palsy
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Spinal cord injury
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
How HAL therapy works
During therapy, you wear the HAL exoskeleton on your legs while working with your rehabilitation team. We place small sensors on your skin to detect the bioelectric signals your brain creates when you try to move. Even if the signals are too weak to create a full movement, HAL may still be able to detect them.
When HAL recognizes your intention to move, the exoskeleton provides assistance at the hip and knee joints to complete the movement. This allows you to practice walking using your own effort rather than relying on a machine to move your legs for you.
As you move, your brain receives feedback from your muscles and joints. Repeated walking practice helps reinforce the communication and neural pathways between the brain, nervous system and muscles.
Key benefits of HAL therapy
HAL lets you practice walking while using your own muscle signals to drive movement, reinforcing the brain-to-muscle connection.
This technology helps increase:
- Neural pathways between the brain and muscles
- Participation during therapy, even when movement is extremely limited
- Repetitions during walking and sit-to-stand rehabilitation
What to expect with HAL therapy
If you are a candidate for using hybrid assisted limb technology, your therapist will fit the exoskeleton to your body and place the sensors on specific muscles in your legs.
Most HAL sessions take place while you are in a body-weight support harness over a treadmill. Your therapist will adjust the exoskeleton settings based on your strength, movement patterns and therapy goals.
During walking practice, HAL responds to the muscle signals associated with movements such as bending your knee, extending your leg or taking a step. We can adjust the system to recognize even very small signals.
We’ll monitor your walking pattern and fine-tune the robotic limb to encourage more efficient movement. As you progress, we’ll adjust the settings to provide the right level of support and challenge.
How Brooks supports your recovery with HAL therapy
Brooks was one of the first rehabilitation providers in the United States to offer HAL therapy. We remain a leader in using this technology to support neurological rehabilitation.
When you come to Brooks, your team:
- Creates a personalized treatment plan: We carefully match our technology to your rehabilitation needs.
- Monitors progress throughout rehabilitation: We adjust treatment as your skills change.
- Provides guidance during every session: Your therapist works closely with you to ensure safe and effective use of the technology.
- Uses technology when it supports your goals: HAL is one of many advanced rehabilitation technologies available at Brooks.
FAQs about HAL therapy
How is HAL different from other exoskeletons?
HAL detects bioelectric signals from your muscles and uses those signals to assist movement. This technology responds to your effort and intention to help you move your legs. The communication between the brain and muscles creates new neural pathways that get stronger over time.
Do I need to have some movement to use HAL?
HAL works by detecting signals your brain generates when you attempt to move. Even if you cannot move your legs, you may benefit from HAL if your brain is sending the signals. Your rehabilitation team will determine whether you have enough muscle activity for the system to be effective.
What does it feel like to use HAL?
Many people describe HAL by its response to your intention to move. When the system detects a bioelectric signal, it assists the movement at the hip and knee joints, helping you complete a step.
Getting started at Brooks Rehabilitation
To learn more about our technology-assisted rehabilitation, reach out to us below.