Stroke Rehabilitation

The AlterG Bionic Leg™ is a wearable robotic device that is used in therapy to help you improve your walking and balance. It assists your weakened or affected limb, which lets you complete more exercises during therapy. It improves your balance and confidence during therapy, making it easier to practice walking, sit-to-stand and stair climbing.

The L300 Plus Foot Drop System is designed to help patients with certain neurological challenges such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain injury and spinal cord injury to walk more naturally, with increased speed, and improved balance. It delivers programmed, low-level Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) targeting the peroneal nerve to enable foot dorsiflexion and accelerate motor recovery. In other words, it stimulates the nerve that helps feed the muscle that helps you bend your ankle up and lift your toes from the floor when you walk.

The Deltoid Aide is another device much like the SaeboMAS that reduces the effect of gravity for a weak arm. This device uses an overhead pulley system to support an arm. The arm is supported with two slings, one at the elbow and the other at the hand, and each sling can be adjusted with its own counterweight. This allows the occupational therapist to position your arm in the best way for the particular exercise or activity you are performing. Most typically this tool is used for patients who have had a neurological injury, such as a stroke, brain injury, MS or Guillain-Barre.

The Dynavision is the leading medical and sports training device used by occupational therapists to improve awareness and scanning skills in all visual fields (in all directions), visual attention, and response speed. It can also be used as a treatment method for patients who need to work on standing activity tolerance, as it is motivating to patients. The Dynavision D2 incorporates gross motor skills, improves attention and speed of processing, expands awareness of the patient's surroundings, and incorporates balance into an upper body activity.

The exoskeleton is a wearable robotic suit that enables patients to stand up and walk with the assistive technology. The exoskeleton is designed for stroke and spinal cord injuries. The exoskeleton gives the patient strength and helps restore the nerve signals between the patient's brain and legs that make walking possible. The exoskeleton may improve mobility outside of the device such as walking speed, walking safety, abilities with transfers, endurance for functional activities, improved bone strength, intestinal health and pressure related concerns.

With the RT300, we can stimulate one or both legs, or one or both arms with up to 16 muscle groups in the extremity and trunk receiving stimulation. The RT300 FES bike is accessible using a wheelchair or standard chair. It uses a program of passive, assisted, and active motion in a cycling motion to strengthen muscle groups working together. It also provides visual feedback on a monitor for the patient, to encourage more interaction.

 

The mobile arm support (MAS) supports the arm to, in essence, remove the resistance of gravity for a patient who has a weak shoulder and arm. This can allow the person to work on functional activities and training that could not be accomplished otherwise. The MAS can also be used during tasks such as eating a meal to allow the person with a weak arm to begin to feed him/herself.

 

• Adaptive equipment such as a reacher, dressing stick, or sock aide to increase independence when dressing.
• Adaptive equipment to improve a patient's ability to eat independently.
• Commonly used equipment for eating includes:
  • Scoop bowl/plate, plate guard/lipped plate, mugs with handles, bent/angled utensils, weighted utensils, rocker knife, utensils with built-up handles, non-slip mats, long straws, universal cuff.
• Our therapists work with patients to use their own smartphones, allowing them increased independence by use of various apps and functions not commonly known. One commonly used example is the use of voice dictation for those patients who are unable to use their hand to push the buttons on the phone. This may be the case for patients who have had a stroke affecting their dominant side.
• Therapists also use the iPad© in therapy sessions and educate patients and their families on applications that can be utilized to address fine motor deficits, memory, attention, problem-solving and executive functioning.

A speech pathologist and radiologist will perform a videofluoroscopy (also called a modified barium swallow study) to assess safety with swallowing. This test is like a video X-ray in which the patient eats and drinks different textures of food and liquid coated with barium. The therapist and radiologist can then see if food is entering the windpipe or lungs, even if the patient is not aware or coughing. This can help to prevent aspiration, in which food or liquid enters the lungs.