LegTutor an Integral Part of Physical Therapy

SHANNEN HAYES writing in the Island Reporter on September 17, 2011 explains that Sanibel Island is well-known for its active senior population. What is the secret to staying active well after retirement or even knee replacement surgery? For more than 12 years, Physical Therapy of Sanibel has been providing quality rehabilitation services to islanders and visitors. For the past 8 years, physical therapist David Lackenby has been helping his patients with a wide range of conditions, including arthritis, neck and back pain, headaches and balance impairments, and has extensive experience with post-joint replacement rehabilitation.
Physical therapists or PTs are described as health care professionals who diagnose and treat individuals of all ages, from newborns to the elderly, who have medical problems or other health-related conditions that limit their ability to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.
PTs examine each individual and develop a plan using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability. In addition, PTs work with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness- and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles.
Physical therapists provide care for people in a variety of settings, including hospitals, private practices, outpatient clinics, home health agencies, schools, sports and fitness facilities, work settings, and nursing homes. State licensure is required in each state in which a physical therapist practices. They focus on manipulation to help mobilize joints, along with manual therapy.
The LegTutor and its sister devices, (HandTutor, ArmTutor and 3DTutor), have become an integral part of physical therapy for victims of brain and spinal cord injury, stroke, post arm and knee surgery therapy as well as Parkinson’s, MS, CP, Apraxia, Development Coordination Disorders, balance impairments, arthritis, sports injuries and more.
The LegTutor, specifically, provides a safe and comfortable leg brace with position and speed sensors that precisely record three dimensional hip and knee extension and flexion. Rehabilitation games allow the patient to exercise Range of Motion (ROM), speed and accuracy of movement. The LegTutor facilitates evaluation and treatment of the lower extremity including isolated and combined hip and knee movements.
The LegTutor aims to optimize motor, sensory and cognitive performance to allow the patient to better perform everyday functional tasks and improve quality of life. The Tutors are being successfully used in leading U.S. and foreign hospitals and clinics and are suitable for home use through telerehabilitation.