A new body weight supported treadmill device to measure kinetic response from spinal cord injury animals

Spinal Cord Injury is a devastating and debilitating condition. To assess the extent of recovery after rehabilitation, cell transplantation and pharmacological interventions, array of behavioral, electrophysiological and histological techniques are needed. Functional recovery is often assessed using behavior, gait and kinetic testing. While behavior and kinematic testing are possible, kinetic testing often poses several limitations in small animal model. In this paper, we present details of a custom-built body weight support treadmill device with integrated kinetic setup. Data obtained from preliminary testing validates the kinetic outcomes during walking on a treadmill in animals.