Neurological Rehabilitation Physical Therapy: Information About Neurological Rehabilitation Products

If you or anyone in your family has suffered from a stroke, you know by now that neuromuscular and neurological rehabilitation is a long-term proposition. When you lose the ability to move a hand or foot due to stroke or other brain injury, you are left feeling frustrated and sometimes hopeless. Many hours and many repetitions of movement and therapy exercises are necessary for regaining motion and improving your quality of life.

High quality neurological rehabilitation products can help. Designed with input from top researchers and clinicians, these products have gone through years of development and produced strong clinical evidence. For you, they create a fun, interactive training environment that keeps your attention focused on the repetitive training tasks – a welcome alternative to the tedium of traditional physical therapy.

These neurological rehabilitation devices provide instructions and assistance. They encourage and challenge the patient to achieve, surpass and increase their goals. They record and report progress during hand therapy and foot therapy. These neurological rehabilitation products will not do the work for you, but they will work with you to achieve your goals.

How do they work?
Some neurological rehabilitation devices immerse the patient in a game-like environment. For example, by interacting with hand therapy and foot therapy games, a patient is encouraged to move their hand or foot to play the game. If the patient is unsuccessful in completing a specific task, assistance is given so that the full range of motion is realized.

These neurological rehabilitation devices provide 3 types of visual feedback: force, position and EMG (electrical activity of the muscle). In some devices an “air muscle” assists the patient with desired movement when they are not able to move their wrist or fingers on their own.

What is an “air muscle”?
It is a soft and springy air driven actuator that pulls a linkage system that raises the hand and wrist or foot and ankle in a fluid motion. Because of the soft springy muscle-like properties of the “air muscle,” it is safer than a motor and gear driven apparatus.

Who can benefit from using these neurological rehabilitation devices?
Stroke and other brain-injured patients of varying degrees of ability can benefit from these neurological rehabilitation devices. A patient with high tone or spasticity can increase their passive range of motion using a spasticity reduction program. Patients with some movement capabilities can improve active range of motion with the motor control and active recruitment programs.

How long will patients be using these neurological rehabilitation devices?
Much like piano lessons, the more you practice the more progress you will see. A typical weekly regimen at home would consist of 2-3 hours per day, 4-5 days per week. (Additional practice is not discouraged). In-clinic use is usually limited to 15 or 30 minutes due to the rigorous schedule of in-clinic therapy programs.

Due to varying severity of strokes and ability levels of stroke survivors, patients may use these neurological rehabilitation devices for periods ranging from a few months to more than a year and continue to see progress.

Stroke survivors should consult their physician to see whether neurological rehabilitation devices are the right choice for them. These devices can greatly improve a patient’s range of motion and ultimately help a patient return to a more normal lifestyle.

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