Category: Assistive Devices

Assistive Devices

LewisGale Medical Center Debuts VR Treadmill

LewisGale Medical Center debuted a new virtual reality treadmill for its inpatient physical rehabilitation unit.

Assistive Devices

Thimble-Like Device Aids Balance Via ‘Light Touch’

Japanese researchers have developed and tested a prototype device -- wearable on the fingertips -- that incorporates the concept of "light touch" to enhance the sense of balance. If widely implemented, the device should significantly reduce incidence of falls amongst seniors, they suggest, in Scientific Reports.

Assistive Devices

Stay Active at Home with the BiKube Walker

Vancouver-based BiKube debuts the BiKube, a hands-free, sit-and-stand walker designed to help people with reduced mobility to stay active at home.

Promoting Function and Independence in the Cerebral Palsy Population

by Debbie Overman | Jul 31, 2019 | Assistive Devices, Body Weight Support Systems, Braces, Cerebral Palsy, Conditions, Gait & Balance, Gait Trainers, Manual Wheelchairs, Mobility, Neurological, Power Wheelchairs, Standing Systems, Strollers, Walkers

Gait training and standing technologies and interventions can help children and adults live active and healthy lifestyles, according to Gabriela M. Marquez, PT, DPT, in this feature for the July/August 2019 issue of Rehab Management.

PunkinFutz Therapeutic Play Toys Receive Awards

by Debbie Overman | Jul 12, 2019 | Assistive Devices

PunkinFutz, a company that designs and produces original therapeutic play products for children with adaptive needs, has received the 2019 Creative Child Magazine Toy of the Year and Creative Play Awards.

Federal Report Suggests Trend of Involuntary Institutionalization During and After Disasters

by Debbie Overman | May 24, 2019 | Canes

People with disabilities are frequently institutionalized during and after disasters due to conflicting federal guidance, a lack of equal access to emergency and disaster-related programs and services, and a lack of compliance with federal law, the National Council on Disability (NCD) suggests in a recently released report.

Brain-Controlled Muscle Stimulation Helps SCI Patients to Walk

by Debbie Overman | May 15, 2019 | Spinal Cord Injury, Walkers

Two patients with paraplegia regained the ability to walk with minimal assistance, through the employment of a fully non-invasive brain-machine interface that does not require the use of any invasive spinal cord surgical procedure, according to a study in Scientific Reports.

Anti-Tremor Function is One of this Mouse Adapter’s Cool Features

by Debbie Overman | May 14, 2019 | Assistive Devices, Neurological, Parkinson’s Disease

Inclusive Technology releases the AMAneo BTi, an adapter designed to enable people with disabilities to operate an iPad or iPhone directly with any mouse or assistive mouse, including track ball, joystick, head mouse, thumb mouse, and more.

Magee Rehab ‘Walk It Out’ Step-a-Thon Starts April 12

by Debbie Overman | Apr 11, 2019 | Treadmills

For the sixth year in a row, Magee Rehabilitation is hosting “Walk It Out,” a 24-hour fundraising and awareness event in partnership with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

6 Reasons to Think Differently About Pediatric Mobility

by Debbie Overman | Apr 5, 2019 | Assessment & Evaluation, Cerebral Palsy, Gait & Balance, Gait Trainers, Manual Wheelchairs, Muscular Dystrophy, Power Wheelchairs, Spinal Cord Injury, Standing Systems, Strollers, Traumatic Brain Injury, Walkers

Children’s needs differ distinctly from adults, and mobility equipment choices must account for progression into adolescence and beyond. A feature for Rehab Management by Todd S. Danos, MBA, LOTR, FACHE, and Lori Boyter, PT.

Ankle Exoskeleton Designed to Be Worn Under Clothes

by Debbie Overman | Mar 29, 2019 | Ankle Foot Orthosis, Assistive Devices, Gait & Balance

Mechanical engineers at Vanderbilt University have developed a lightweight, low-profile ankle exoskeleton that they suggest could be worn under clothes without restricting motion, and does not require additional components such as batteries or actuators carried on the back or waist.

Stroke of Genius: Outfitting the Clinic for Neuro Recovery

by Debbie Overman | Feb 27, 2019 | Canes, Conditions, Gait & Balance, Neurological, Objective Data Measurement, Practice Development, Stroke

Manufacturers put their best foot forward with technologies that offer special utility in treating stroke patients. A feature for the March 2019 issue of Rehab Management compiled by Frank Long, editorial director.

Equipment Ensemble

by Debbie Overman | Feb 26, 2019 | Assistive Devices, Body Weight Support Systems, Exoskeletons, Functional Electrical Stimulation, Gait Trainers, Rollators, Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Treadmills, Walkers

Rehab therapists share their top equipment choices for conditioning and training that help their patients achieve the greatest gains. Compiled by Debbie Overman, associate editor of Rehab Management.

AFM Patients Benefit from Nerve Transfer Surgery

by Debbie Overman | Jan 16, 2019 | Acute, Assistive Devices, Research

Case studies published recently in Pediatric Neurology document two patients, ages 12 and 14, with partial paralysis as the result of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) who regained movement in their arms after undergoing nerve transfer surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery.

Walk This Way to Post-Stroke Recovery

by Debbie Overman | Jan 12, 2019 | Assessment & Evaluation, Body Weight Support Systems, Door Opening Systems, Gait & Balance, Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, Treadmills

Kate Drolet, PT, DPT, NCS, CLT-LANA, and Kristine Buchler, PT, DPT, explain the role of walking in post-stroke recovery. A feature for the January/February 2019 issue of Rehab Management.

Standing Up to the Challenge of SCI

by Debbie Overman | Jan 11, 2019 | Body Weight Support Systems, Gait & Balance, Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, Treadmills

Medical management, rehabilitation practices, and evolving technology provide more opportunities for patients to begin standing early and progress to a long-term regimen. A feature for the January/February 2019 issue of Rehab Management by Jennifer Cowhig, MPT, DPT, and Catherine Farrell, PT, NCS.

ConcertoHealth Expands Services in Washington State

by Debbie Overman | Nov 28, 2018 | Walkers

ConcertoHealth has expanded its vital support services and now provides patients in the Washington State area with access to medical transportation, durable medical equipment (DME), and community health coaching, at no cost.

Catching Up with Custom Seating

by Debbie Overman | Nov 23, 2018 | Seating & Positioning, Seating Pressure Mapping, Treadmills

Manufacturers reveal what drives their most successful products, and what’s to come in the year ahead in this roundtable Q&A for the November/December 2018 issue of Rehab Management.