Landmark independent study reports significantly improved task performance and satisfaction and lower pain compared with wheelchair use
ReWalk users with chronic spinal cord injury were able to perform everyday kitchen and grooming activities while standing with a personal exoskeleton
Publication adds to clinical evidence supporting ReWalk as sales and national distribution access continue to expand
HUDSON, Mass. and YOKNEAM ILLIT, Israel, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lifeward Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFWD) (“Lifeward” or the “Company”), a diversified biomedical innovation company with a portfolio of commercialized neurorehabilitation products and a biomedical pipeline, today announced the publication of an independent, researcher-led peer-reviewed study demonstrating the potential for individuals with chronic spinal cord injury to use a personal exoskeleton to perform everyday activities while standing in their homes.
The study, “Beyond Walking: Exploring Functional Use of Exoskeletons in the Home Environment,” was published in the Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. The observational pilot study included 12 individuals with paraplegia due to chronic spinal cord injury and evaluated their ability to perform both activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) in their homes while using the ReWalk personal exoskeleton.
ADLs are fundamental personal-care activities, while IADLs are more complex activities required to function independently in daily life. In the study, all 12 participants successfully performed kitchen tasks while using the exoskeleton, and 10 of the 12 performed grooming tasks.
Researchers used established measures to assess participants before and after home exoskeleton use. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) evaluated participants’ perceived ability to perform the daily activities they identified as important, as well as their satisfaction with that performance. The Reintegration to Normal Living Index-modified (RNLI-M) assessed the importance of performing ADLs and IADLs while using the exoskeleton. Pain during exoskeleton use versus wheelchair use was evaluated using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). Researchers also assessed changes in bowel and bladder function and barriers to exoskeleton use.
The study reported:
- Significant improvement in participants’ perceived ability to perform daily activities, as measured by COPM performance scores (P=.008);
- Significant improvement in satisfaction with their performance of those activities, as measured by COPM satisfaction scores (P=.003);
- Significant improvement on the RNLI-M measure assessing the importance of completing ADLs and IADLs using the exoskeleton (P=.04);
- Significantly lower reported pain while using the exoskeleton compared with wheelchair use, as measured by the NPRS (P=.01);
- All 12 participants performed kitchen tasks and 10 performed grooming tasks while using the exoskeleton; and
- 8 out of 12 participants reported improvements in bowel and bladder function.
The researchers concluded that personal exoskeleton use at home may enable individuals with paraplegia to perform selected ADLs and IADLs while standing and was associated with improved perceived performance and satisfaction, lower pain during device use, and reported improvements in bowel and bladder function.
“This is a truly landmark first-of-its-kind study with findings that are critically important because they evaluate the ReWalk experience in terms that are highly relevant to the everyday lives of people with spinal cord injury—what they are able to do while standing in their own homes,” said Keith Rose, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Lifeward. “The statistically significant improvements in task performance and satisfaction, with significantly lower reported pain compared with wheelchair use, provide meaningful additional evidence regarding the potential functional benefits of personal exoskeleton technology. The fact that every participant was able to perform kitchen activities while standing, and 10 of 12 were able to perform grooming activities, helps translate the clinical measures into practical outcomes that patients, clinicians, and payers can readily understand.”
“Peer-reviewed evidence of ReWalk’s real-world benefits can play an important role in expanding adoption,” said Josh Hexter, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Lifeward. “As we broaden access through our expanding distribution network, this evidence can help clinicians, patients, and payers understand ReWalk’s clinical value and support continued sales growth. We’re already seeing that recognition translate into coverage: Medicare Fee-for-Service and many national Medicare Advantage plans understand ReWalk’s clinical impact and are authorizing utilization for clinically appropriate patients.”
Excerpt from the study:
Several participants in this study volunteered anecdotal experiences with their personal exoskeleton use. Many described standing to complete functional tasks for the first time in years and remarked that they “felt normal”. Although these reports are anecdotal, they are consistent with the quantitative findings and suggest that exoskeleton use may offer meaningful nonpharmacologic benefits for some individuals. One participant with an incomplete SCI reported daily exoskeleton use for functional tasks. After several months he noted reduced leg atrophy and improved standing posture, suggesting regular exoskeleton use for functional tasks strengthened his innervated muscles. Another participant demonstrated that he could work on his truck engine while using the exoskeleton, a task he could not complete in his wheelchair or track chair. Several participants also reported changes in their medication regimens after incorporating regular exoskeleton use into their routines, including discontinuation of chronic opioid therapy, reductions in intrathecal baclofen dosage, and decreased need for antidepressant medications.
The publication comes as Lifeward continues to expand commercial access to ReWalk. ReWalk sales increased 13% year-over-year to $2.5 million in the second quarter of 2026, contributing to a 16% increase in total Lifeward revenue to $6.6 million. The Company is expanding its capital-efficient channel distribution strategy, including an August 2026 pilot with Ottobock Care, a leading U.S. mobility technology patient care organization with more than 50 patient clinics nationwide, designed to broaden access to ReWalk.
About Lifeward
Lifeward is a global innovator focused on advancing medical technologies and biomedical solutions that improve lives. The Company’s established portfolio includes market-leading neurorehabilitation technologies such as the ReWalk® Exoskeleton, AlterG® Anti-Gravity system, MyoCycle® FES System, and ReStore® Exo-Suit. These solutions span the continuum of care in physical rehabilitation and recovery, deploying the most advanced robotics and AI technologies to restore full health and quality of life to a broadening patient population. The Company is now executing a strategic evolution into a diversified biomedical company, expanding beyond rehabilitation and into high-value therapeutic platforms. This includes its Protein Oral Delivery (POD™) platform, designed to enable oral delivery of biologic drugs, with lead candidate ORMD-0801 (oral insulin) targeting a large and underserved diabetes market.
Lifeward has operations in the United States, Israel, and Germany. For more information on the Lifeward mission and product portfolio, please visit GoLifeward.com.
Lifeward®, ReWalk®, ReStore® and Alter G® are registered trademarks of Lifeward Ltd. and/or its affiliates.
Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical information, this press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements may include projections regarding the Company’s future performance and other statements that are not statements of historical fact and, in some cases, may be identified by words like “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “future,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “seek” and similar terms or phrases. For example, when the Company discusses the potential benefits, expanded adoption, commercial access, clinical value and sales growth of ReWalk, and the Company’s distribution strategy, it is using forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on management’s current expectations, which are subject to uncertainty, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the Company’s control. Important factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others: management’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future including, without limitation, statements regarding: the future operations of Lifeward, including research and development activities; the nature, strategy and focus of Lifeward; Lifeward’s ability to successfully integrate Oratech Pharmaceuticals Ltd. into its organization and realize the anticipated benefits therefrom; anticipated clinical drug development activities and related timelines, and other clinical results; the sufficiency of post-transaction resources to support the advancement of Lifeward’s pipeline through certain milestones and the time period over which Lifeward’s post-transaction capital resources will be sufficient to fund its anticipated operations; unexpected costs, charges or expenses resulting from the strategic transaction; expected timing and results of the ORMD-0801 clinical trial; legislative, regulatory, political and economic developments; the acceptance of the ReWalk 7 Personal Exoskeleton by healthcare professionals and patients; uncertainties associated with future clinical trials and the clinical development process, the product development process and U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulatory submission review and approval process; the Company’s ability to have sufficient funds to meet certain future capital requirements, which could impair the Company’s efforts to develop and commercialize existing and new products; the Company’s ability to maintain and grow its reputation and the market acceptance of its products; the Company’s ability to achieve reimbursement from third-party payors, including CMS, for its products; the Company’s limited operating history and its ability to leverage its sales, marketing and training infrastructure; the Company’s expectations as to its clinical research program and clinical results; the Company’s expectations regarding future growth, including its ability to increase sales in its existing geographic markets and expand to new markets; the Company’s ability to continue to operate as a going concern; the Company’s ability to obtain certain components of its products from third-party suppliers and its continued access to its product manufacturers; the Company’s ability to navigate any difficulties associated with moving production of its AlterG Anti-Gravity Systems to a contract manufacturer and transitioning the manufacturing of its ReWalk products to its in-house manufacturer; the Company’s ability to improve its products and develop new products; the Company’s compliance with medical device reporting regulations to report adverse events involving the Company’s products, which could result in voluntary corrective actions or enforcement actions such as mandatory recalls, and the potential impact of such adverse events on the Company’s ability to market and sell its products; the Company’s ability to gain and maintain regulatory approvals; the Company’s ability to maintain adequate protection of its intellectual property and to avoid violation of the intellectual property rights of others; the risk of a cybersecurity attack or breach of the Company’s IT systems significantly disrupting its business operations; the Company’s ability to use effectively the proceeds of its offerings of securities; and other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, as amended, for the year ended December 31, 2025 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other documents subsequently filed with or furnished to the SEC. Any forward-looking statement made in this press release speaks only as of the date hereof. Factors or events that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ from the statements contained herein may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of them. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Contact:
Almog Adar
Chief Financial Officer
Lifeward
E: media@golifeward.com
E: ir@golifeward.com
