Pittsburgh neurorehabilitation moves forward with new exoskeleton

When Mary Maloney suffered a rare spinal attack in 2020, she wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to use her legs again. She was 13 years old at the time, and immediately after a trampoline accident she began to feel that something was wrong.

“All I remember is that sinking feeling you get when you know something is wrong,” Maloney said. “My movements just started to get better. [slower]my legs started getting weaker and weaker. ”

She was paralyzed from the waist down.

Maroney, now 18, traveled far from Pittsburgh to seek physical therapy as she continues her recovery from a stroke. She and her mother, former KDKA-TV reporter Pam Surano, have been driving to the facilities in Philadelphia and Louisville, Kentucky, in recent years.

“There weren't a lot of options locally,” Surano said. That made things difficult. “It meant time away from family, friends, school and work, and we were exhausted,” she said. And all that travel was no longer financially viable for the two of them.

But now, Maroney and other Pittsburgh-area patients with neurological conditions can receive state-of-the-art rehabilitation care close to home.

Allegheny Health Network on Friday unveiled a new robotic exoskeleton to help patients with neurological conditions regain their motor skills. The EksoNR robotic exoskeleton is a wearable machine that supports patients in standing and walking during physical therapy. And this is the first exoskeleton of its kind available for outpatient rehabilitation therapy in the Pittsburgh area.

At a press conference, Maloney demonstrated how the machine allows her to stand up from her wheelchair and walk slowly and carefully down the hallways of her physical therapy room. The device is reminiscent of the armor worn by Marvel's superhero Iron Man.

Maroney said when she put on the suit for the first time about a month ago, the experience was “shattering.”

“The only way I was able to stand up until then…was with my therapist,” she said, holding her legs. “Just getting up and walking around feels really great.”

Beyond the physical advances in treatment, Maroney said the exoskeleton has done wonders for her mental journey since her injury. “You feel like this beacon of hope, and it gives you strength… it supplements you until you learn how to do it yourself,” she said.

In addition to restoring the experience of walking, exoskeletons can also be tools to manage pain, loosen tight muscles, maintain bone density, and aid bowel and bladder function.

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The EksoNR robotic exoskeleton was created by Ekso Bionics, a California-based exoskeleton manufacturer. It is designed to help people suffering from spinal cord injuries and is the only robotic exoskeleton approved by the FDA for brain injury and multiple sclerosis.

According to Dr. Gary Hoover, a rehabilitation physician and medical director of West Penn's inpatient rehabilitation, exoskeleton therapy is a major advancement for outpatient rehabilitation in the Pittsburgh area. Previously, this device was only available for inpatient treatment.

“It's great that patients no longer have to travel across the country for these treatment tools. They can receive excellent treatment and care locally,” he said.

EksoNR arrived on the outskirts of Allegheny General Hospital in December. According to AHN, a small number of patients are already using it in physical therapy exercises. The health system plans to make the technology available to dozens more patients in the coming months.

Previously, the closest facility to Pittsburgh with this equipment was in Charleston, West Virginia. EksoNR is used at more than 200 facilities in the United States, including centers in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Akron, Ohio.

Andy McGuigan, strategic account director at Ekso Bionics, said the suit assesses a patient's ability and, by taking cues from a physical therapist “driving” a machine, develops the full-body movements required for walking. He said he would support it.

“So, can they move their right leg enough to take a step? If they can't, the robot will assist them in moving that entire limb,” he said. “Therapists may have to do it manually, but [otherwise]”

Maroney's story that caught on national headlinesinspired her local community to form a support group called Miracles for Mary. The group partnered with the West Penn Foundation and the Diane Foley Foundation to pay for the $190,000 EksoNR machine. These groups were alongside Surano and Maloney Friday.

“It took the help of many selfless and caring people to make this unique opportunity possible, many of whom are in this room,” Surano said. “They saw this as an opportunity to help people in our city with spinal cord injuries who are in the same situation as Mary.”

Maroney, who plans to attend medical school after graduating from high school this year, said it's important to her that others have access to the medical care she's been “so blessed to have.”

“I’m really excited that this is going to open the door for other people,” Maloney said. “People may not even know this was an option.”