Baseball Pitcher and the Armtutor–a Winning Combination

On January 30, 2012 Scott Hood, a staff writer for GamecockCentral.com writes about Nolan Belcher, star pitcher for the South Carolina baseball team, remembers the moment when he realized something was wrong with his left arm.
Belcher threw a pitch, just like he had done thousands of times in high school and college previously.
However this time he had a sharp twinge in his elbow. Belcher pitched two more times and then surrendered to the throbbing pain.
He knew his season was over.
A year later, Belcher recalls every detail of the fateful moment.
”I felt a little twinge in my elbow. I knew something wasn’t right. I tried twice more after that. But the pain was unbearable. I had to just walk off the mound. I had an MRI the next day and they said it was 98 percent torn.”
Belcher had Tommy John surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. All of a sudden, new elbow.
Months of rigorous rehab followed, a long, lonely and “miserable” process that culminated when Belcher took the mound for the first time in a year, throwing two hitless innings in the second scrimmage of preseason camp.
” (Rehab) is a miserable process. I was doing the same thing every day. It’s really tough mentally to go into the training room and try to get better each day.”
Using the ARMTUTOR and HANDTUTOR to improve usage of an injured limb is not a miserable process. In fact it can be somewhat enjoyable. Despite the fact that rehabilitation can be painful and lengthy in time spent, the TUTOR affords the patient a way of restoring movement ability. If Nolan Belcher had been using the HANDTUTOR or ARMTUTOR there would be games for him to use which would in essence provide him with the necessary therapy.
The ARMTUTOR and HANDTUTOR system has been developed to allow for functional rehabilitation of the upper extremity including the shoulder, elbow and wrist. The system consists of an ergonomic wearable glove and arm brace together with dedicated rehabilitation software. The ARMTUTOR and HANDTUTOR system allows the physical and occupational therapist to report on and evaluate the patients functional rehabilitation progress. This allows the OT and PT to prescribe the right customized and motivating intensive exercise practice which is the cornerstone to manual rehabilitation therapy. Intensive repetition of movement is achieved through challenging games set to the patients movement ability. The system provides detailed exercise performance instructions and precise feedback on the patients exercise performance. Controlled exercise of multijoints within the normal movement pattern prevents the development of undesired and compensatory joint movement and ensures better performance of functional tasks.
Telerehabilitation allows the recovering patient to continue his physical therapy at home.See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Elderly Can Maximize their Post Stroke Rehabilitation Therapy With the Tutor System

Michaela M. Pinter and Michael Brainin of the Department for Clinical Neurosciences and Preventive Medicine, Danube University Krems, Krems, Austria write about
“Rehabilitation after stroke in older people”
Because stroke is a leading cause of disability therefore rehabilitation is a major part of patient care. Interventions mostly do not target the aged patient but there is much evidence to promote rehabilitation in the multidisciplinary stroke units or have integrated care of a multidisciplinary team in every community. Most research has focused on the effect of such interventions on recovery in different forms of disability and impairment. One of the most promising options for motor recovery of the arm includes constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) and robotic-assisted strategies. Interventions to improve postural stability and gait include fitness training, high-intensity therapy, and repetitive-task training. However, information about the clinical effect of various strategies of cognitive rehabilitation and strategies for aphasia and dysarthria is scarce. Several trials of rehabilitation trials are underway to test these interventions in the elderly. This would be done either alone or in combination with early mobilization, cardiorespiratory physical exercise and fitness training.
The TUTOR system has been developed for all ages to improve their mobility and limb movement post stroke, SCI, brain injury, upper and lower limb surgeries and other disabling diseases.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourages motor learning through intensive active exercises and movement practice. The HANDTUTOR ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR consist of wearable glove and braces that detect limb movement showing the patient how much active or assisted active movement they are actually doing. The rehabilitation software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target for the patient’s ability to move their limb. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback on the success of the patient in trying to gain this new objective. In this way the patient is given feedback that allows the patient to understand which effort is more successful. In this way the Tutor system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allows for repetitive and intensive exercise practice.
The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR is now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Tutor System Replaces Externally Operated Devices in Physiotherapy

Rina Miller reports for Michigan Radio on January 29, 2012 about a hospital in Michigan that is working with yet again another robot that’s designed to help people who have spinal cord injuries to walk again.
DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan in Detroit has been chosen as one of 10 hospitals in the nation trying out Ekso – a battery-powered exoskeleton.
The ultimate goal is to have a home device for patients, but that technology likely won’t be ready for another couple of years. Insurance companies may balk at covering the exoskeleton because of its cost, which can be exorbitant.
While DMC and other rehabilitation Institutes wait for additional technology to make their product totally effective the TUTOR system has been around now for a few years already assisting brain injured patients as well as those suffering a myriad of other disabilities to regain mobility in their affected limbs. The TUTOR system is also one of the most cost effective medical devices to enter the field of rehabilitative therapy.
Occupational and physical therapists use the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR – known as the TUTOR system as a manual therapy tool to help them with their rehabilitative work. This means that the patient himself, and not an outside influence, allows progress to be made in returning normal mobility to the affected limb.
The TUTOR system has shown much success in rehabilitation of joint movement. The newly developed Tutors consist of ergonomic wearable devices. The HANDTUTOR is a glove for hand therapy and the ARMTUTOR is an arm brace for elbow and shoulder rehabilitation. The LEGTUTOR is a leg brace for leg and hip. The system is indicated for patients who have suffered TBI, a stroke, SCI, CP, MS, Parkinson’s disease and other mobility restraining illnesses. It is used by occupational therapists and physiotherapists in rehabilitation centers, private clinics and the home where it can be supported by tele physical therapy. It is designed for those who have head, trunk, upper and lower extremity movement dysfunction.
The accompanying software system consists of motivating and challenging games that allow the patient to practice isolated and/or interjoint coordination exercises. The dedicated rehabilitation software allows the physical and occupational therapist to fully customize the exercises to the patient’s movement ability. In addition, the OT and PT can make objective follow up and reports on their patient’s progress. Rehabilitation aims to optimizes the patient’s motor, sensory and cognitive performance and allows the patient to better perform everyday functional tasks to improve their quality of life. The TUTORS are certified by the FDA and CE See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information..

Tutors’ Secret is to Have the Patient Use His Own Initiative to Achieve a Good Result in Physical Therapy

Kurt Mossberg, a brain injury expert and a Professor in the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston department of physical therapy and rehabilitation sciences writes for CHRON.COM. on Friday, January 27, 2012 about the length and difficulty of physical therapy for brain injured patients.
In the U.S. there are 1.7 million new cases of TBI per year and even many more that are unreported. In contrast, there are approximately 11,000 new cases of multiple sclerosis and 40,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease annually.
Fortunately, most TBIs are considered mild. However, a concussion, which is considered a mild brain injury, was once thought to have little to no residual effects. However, now we are learning about the long-term effects on behavior and cognition. Post-mortem studies of professional football players are finding that multiple hits to the head can result in changes to the brain that resemble Alzheimer’s disease.
Tremendous advances have been made in the treatment of TBI but there is still a long way to go in the area of post-acute and long-term rehabilitation. Robotic interventions are being explored in which isolated arm, wrist or hand movements are facilitated mechanically and even electrically. Leg movements and body weight can be controlled by a robotic device to help regain the ability to walk. However, some evidence suggests that a robotic intervention does not require enough effort on the part of the patient and the patient plays a less active role in the therapy session. The more the patient actively participates, the more likely there are to be long-term gains as the brain responds and adapts in a more normal fashion.
The TUTOR system has been created to bring the patient renewed limb mobility through his own efforts via these innovative devices. When the TBI or stroke patient has regained sufficient strength he can connect the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR to the dedicated software that has been created.
The TUTOR devices allow the patient to practice isolated and/or interjoint coordination exercises. The dedicated rehabilitation software allows the physical and occupational therapist to fully customize the exercises to the patient’s movement ability. In addition, the OT and PT can make objective follow up and reports on their patient’s progress. Rehabilitation aims to optimize the patient’s motor, sensory and cognitive performance and allows the patient to better perform everyday functional tasks to improve their quality of life. All this is done through the patient’s initiative versus a robot doing it for him. The TUTORS are certified by the FDA and CE and can be used in tele physiotherapy from the patient’s home.
See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Tutors Can Shorten Recovery Period for TBI Patients

Bill Miston reports on Saturday, Jan. 28,2012 in Green Bay, Wisconsin that the recovery process from brain injury is usually long and slow.
It’s reported that each year more than 1.5 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury or TBI.That equals one person each 19 seconds. The leading cause is car accidents.
Cody Schneider, 22, of Oconto Falls is one of those statistics.
Cody spends three days a week at a rehabilitation center in Green Bay.
Right now he and 12 other brain injury rehabilitation program participants are working on just simple word problems.
The Medical Director of the Brain Injury Program at N.E.W. Curative Rehabilitation, Patricia Neuman, says each brain injury is different than another and there are a lot of unknowns.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), although having a long recovery period, can have that somewhat shortened by making use of the TUTOR system when movement of limbs is affected.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR, for example, has become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation for TBI and stroke victims and those recovering from spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s, MS, CP and other limb movement limitations. The HANDTUTOR is a hand therapy tool used by Occupational therapists. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR consist of wearable glove and braces that detect limb movements showing the patient how much active or assisted active movement they are actually accomplishing. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourages motor learning through intensive active exercises and movement practice. The rehabilitation software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target for the patient to again move their limb in a normal fashion. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback on the success of the patient in this new objective. In this way the patient is given feedback that allows the patient to understand which effort is more successful in getting them to move their affected limb again. Subsequently the TUTOR system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive exercise practice.
The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Tutor System Effective for all Ages

Representing the Austrian Stroke Unit Registry Dr.M. Knoflach, etal from the Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
conducted a study to analyze the association between patient age and good functional outcome following ischemic stroke with a special focus on younger patients who were underrepresented numerically in previous evaluations.
The conclusions they reached were that age was a highly significant inverse predictor of good functional results after ischemic stroke independent of the characteristics, severity, and complications. The age-outcome association exhibited a nonlinear scale and extended to young stroke patients.
The TUTOR system which was recently developed has been functioning well for stroke patients of all ages. The TUTORS are designed to assist physical rehabilitation even for children beginning at age 4.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR, for example, has become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation for TBI and stroke victims and those recovering from spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s, MS, CP and other limb movement limitations. The HANDTUTOR is a hand therapy tool used by Occupational therapists. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourages motor learning through intensive active exercises and movement practice.
The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR consist of wearable gloves and braces that detect limb movements showing the patient how much active or assisted active movement they are actually accomplishing. The dedicated software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target in terms of the patient’s ability to move their limb. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback on the success of the patient in this new objective. In this way the patient is given feedback that allows the patient to understand which effort is more successful in allowing them to move their affected limb again. Subsequently the TUTOR system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive exercise practice.
The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

”Dancing” with the Tutor System for Parkinson’s Patients

An interesting study was published in the ”Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair Journal” by Ryan P. Duncan, MPT and
Gammon M. Earhart, PhD of the Washington University School of Medicine, Program in Physical Therapy in St Louis, MO in January 2012.
Tango dancing has been effective in improving measures of physical function in people with Parkinson disease (PD). However, all previous studies were institution-based, tested participants on medication, and employed short-term interventions. The Objective of this study was to determine the effects of a 12-month community-based tango program for individuals with PD on disease severity and physical function. Participants were assessed off anti-Parkinson medication. The Conclusions were that improvements in the Tango group were apparent off medication, suggesting that long-term participation in tango may modify progression of disability in PD.
While the ”dance” therapy approach is interesting it is known that the ”TUTOR” approach also has a very good track record of achieving desired results for Parkinson’s patients.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation for stroke victims and those recovering from Parkinson’s, brain and spinal injuries, MS, CP and other limb movement limitations. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourages motor learning through intensive active exercises and movement practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR consist of wearable glove and braces that detect limb movement showing the patient how much active or assisted active movement they are actually doing. The custom made software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target for this movement in terms of the patient’s ability to move their affected limb. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback on the success of the patient in trying to gain this new movement objective. In this way the patient is given movement feedback that lets him understand which effort is more successful in allowing him to move his affected limb again. In this way the TUTOR system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive exercise practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Senator’s Full Recovery May Be Dependent on the LegTutor and ArmTutor

According to the Chicago Sun Times on January 24, 2012 it was reported that U.S. Senator Mark Kirk R-Ill had a stroke and could have trouble with his left leg as he makes a recovery. Dr. Richard Fessler, neurosurgeon, said that a 4-inch by 8-inch section of his skull was removed to reduce swelling on his brain.
“Sen. Kirk has suffered a stroke to the right side of his brain, which I believe will affect his ability to move his left arm and possibly his left leg, and possibly will involve some facial paralysis,” said Dr. Fessler.
Assuming the Senator will not have complete paralysis on his left side he will be able to regain full use of his left arm and leg by incorporating the use of the ARMTUTOR and LEGTUTOR.
The ARMTUITOR and LEGTUTOR are ergonomic wearable arm and leg braces connected to dedicated rehabilitation software. The TUTOR rehabilitation concept is based on performing controlled exercise rehabilitation practice at a patient customized level with real time accurate feedback on the patient’s performance. This means that the TUTOR system allows the physical therapist to prescribe a rehabilitation program customized to the patient’s arm, knee and hip movement ability at their stage of rehabilitation. The ARMTUTOR and LEGTUTOR use biofeedback to keep the patient motivated to do the exercise practice designed in the form of challenging games. The devices are suitable for a wide variety of other neurological and orthopedic injury and diseases as well as post trauma and orthopedic surgery.
The ARMTUTOR and LEGTUTOR are also used by physical and occupational therapists in combination with the HANDTUTOR and 3DTUTOR for upper and lower extremity rehabilitation. The TUTOR system is used by many leading rehabilitation centers worldwide and have full FDA and CE certification. They are designed for children and adults and can be used at home supported by telerehabilitation. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Brain Injury followed by the Tutor Devices Can Assure Progress towards Recovery

Patrick Cronin writes for the seacoastonline.com on January 24, 2012 about a tragic but yet hopeful story.
Bill Gott was told by the doctors that his daughter was seriously injured and may never recover after a motor vehicle accident on Interstate 95.
If she lived, her life would have no value, added the doctor.
Myla, the daughter, didn’t give up that night, and neither did her father. Gott has spent 3 years at Myla’s bedside. He has seen much progress as time passed.
Myla’s brain injury is known as ”diffuse axonal injury”. The violent force of the accident caused axons to break. These are parts of the nerve cells in the brain that allow neurons to send messages back and forth to other parts of the body. Myra requires the use of a wheelchair and is unable to talk.
Experts believe the brain can rewire itself through repetitive and aggressive therapies.
The TUTOR system was created to assist brain injury victims to return to a semblance of normalcy in their lives. The TUTORS are designed to encourage intensive and aggressive active exercises to the affected limb.
The TUTORS allow the patient to do these exercises so that it is customized to their movement ability.
The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR consist of wearable glove and braces that detect limb movements showing the patient how much active or assisted active movement they are actually accomplishing. The rehabilitation software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target in terms of the patient’s ability to move their limb. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback on the success of the patient in this new objective. In this way the patient is given feedback that allows the patient to understand which effort is more successful in allowing them to move their affected limb again.
Subsequently the TUTOR system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive exercise practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. Tele rehabilitation allows for the home bound or much recovered patient to continue the therapy at home with professional therapists at the other end monitoring and guiding the therapy.
See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

CP Patients Receive Therapy With the Tutor System

As reported in THE PATRIOT LEDGER.COM on January 22, 2012
Matt Milligan was diagnosed with Ataxic Cerebral Palsy at age 2. This disease results from damage to the cerebellum, the brain’s major center for coordination and balance, and is one of the rarest forms of cerebral palsy.
Patients diagnosed with this condition experience a disturbed and uncoordinated sense of balance and sometimes a problem with depth perception. Also since Ataxia involves the hands, it makes fine motor control activities i.e.writing…or taking pictures…very difficult.
Matt said. “Living with CP is a challenge,” “But I think you can do anything you set your mind to.”
Matt was told he would never walk but he ran a 15 mile race at age 9, which he has done each year since. Diagnosed recently with a muscle condition that locks up the right side of his body when he walks, Matt still doesn’t miss a day of skateboarding or riding on his bike or living the lifestyle of other fearless 15-year-olds.
The HANDTUTOR was developed specifically for patients that suffer from diseases like CP as well as from other physical disabilities.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation for stroke victims and those recovering from brain and spinal injuries, Parkinson’s, MS, CP and other limb movement limitations. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourages motor learning through intensive active exercises and movement practice.
The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR consist of wearable glove and braces that detect limb movement showing the patient how much active or assisted movement they are actually doing. The rehabilitation software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target for this movement in terms of the patient’s ability to move their limb. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback on the success of the patient in trying to gain this new movement objective. In this way the patient is given movement feedback that allows the patient to understand which effort is more successful in allowing the patients to move their affected limb again. The TUTOR system thereby provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive exercise practice.
The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

An Top Rated Physical Rehabilitation Clinic

What should an excellent physical rehabilitation clinic include?
1) It should be in a building that is centrally located so patients can have access to it without difficulty.
2) It should have a convenient parking area with suitable ramps for wheelchair bound patients.
3) It should be staffed by well trained and certified physiotherapists, clinicians and technicians. They should not only be expert in their field but should also have a desirable personality that can make the patients feel comfortable and leave their session with a good feeling that someone cares about them and their issues.
4) Above all the clinic should be immaculate and well equipped. This equipment should include the latest devices to assist the patient to return to normal activity.
Such devices should include the TUTOR system. These recently developed devices include the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR.
The HANDTUTOR is a unique ergonomic glove and the ARMTUTOR is a safe, comfortable elbow brace as the LEGTUTOR is a leg brace. The 3DTUTOR is a wireless motion feedback device that can be positioned on discreet joints of the head, trunk or upper and lower extremities. All of these are connected to powerful dedicated software that includes a variety of challenging games. The games are structured to allow the patient to optimize his own power and thereby to develop his potential in restoring normal mobility to an affected limb. The devices are designed to improve the quality of life of patients that have experienced a stroke, brain or spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Radial and Ulnar nerve or Brachial Plexus injury. They are also effective for post hand or tendon surgery as well as all upper and lower limb disabilities.
The rehabilitation system optimizes the patient’s motor, sensory and cognitive performance which allows the therapist to evaluate and objectively quantify.
For more information see WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM

LegTutor Assists Stroke Patients With Balance and Telerehabilitation

A study was published in the journal “Disability Rehabilitation” on August 25,2011 about “Telerehabilitation Using Virtual Reality That Can Improve Balance in Stroke Patients. It was written by I. Cikajlo and M. Rudolf etal of the University Rehabilitation Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia. They state that the objective of telerehabilitation is a continuation of the rehabilitation process in the patients’ home.
The study also compares the balance training in a clinical environment with the telerehabilitation approach where the physiotherapists and physicians can follow the progress remotely., The telerehabilitation approach in VR supported balance training and improved balance in stroke patients. It had a similar effect on the patients’ postural functional improvement just as conventional balance training in clinical settings. However, when balance training is continued in the patient’s home instead of the hospital, it would eventually decrease the number of outpatient visits, reduce related costs and enable the treatment of a larger number of patients.
The TUTOR system has been created to achieve balance therapy for stroke patients. This works by placing a LEGTUTOR or 3DTUTOR on the less impaired leg and/or the more impaired leg. (The LEGTUTOR is an ergonomic wearable leg brace with dedicated rehabilitation software. The LEGTUTOR rehabilitation concept is based on performing controlled exercise rehabilitation practice at a patient customized level with real time accurate feedback on the patient’s performance. This means that the LEGTUTOR system allows the physical therapist to prescribe a leg rehabilitation program customized to the patient’s knee and hip movement ability at their stage of rehabilitation. The LEGTUTOR uses biofeedback to keep the patient motivated to do the practice session with the exercises designed in the form of challenging games. These games are suitable for a wide variety of other neurological and orthopedic injuries and diseases as well.)
Then the patient stands on one leg (either impaired or healthy/more healthy) and proceeds to play one of the TUTOR created games such as: ”darts”. This way they strengthen work on balance + cognition. Telerehabilitation allows the patient who has improved from the original event or is unable to come to the clinic to continue his therapy from home.
See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Tutor System Successful for Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation

There exists a disability called acquired brain injury (ABI), meaning it occurred after birth. ABIs happen as a result of traumatic brain injuries — physical trauma caused by falls, car accidents and assaults — or non-traumatic brain injuries, which can be caused by strokes, brain tumors, infection or substance abuse.
The challenges stemming from brain injuries vary from person to person.
The difficulties can be temporary or permanent, depending on how severe the brain injury was, but there are physical changes, cognitive changes and emotional or behavioural changes. From a physical point of view, there might be things like fatigue, sleep difficulties, certainly mobility issues.
When mobility issues exist the TUTOR system is very helpful.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation for stroke victims and those recovering from brain and spinal injuries, Parkinson’s, MS, CP and other limb movement limitations. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourages motor learning through intensive active exercises and movement practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR consist of wearable glove and braces that detect limb movement showing the patient how much active or assisted active movement theyare actually doing. The rehabilitation software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target for this movement in terms of the patients ability to move their limb. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback on the success of the patient in trying to gain this new movement objective. In this way the patient is given movement feedback that allows the patient to understand which effort is more successful in allowing them to move their affected limb again. In this way the TUTOR system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive exercise practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

ArmTutor Aids in Stroke Rehabilitation With Games

Published in the Journal:”Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation” ,Nov-Dec 2011
Sarah O. Schuck, BA, OTS etal of the Department of Occupational Therapy, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio discuss a pilot study that evaluates the efficacy of treatment gaming devices on 2 chronic stroke survivors. The conclusions they reached were that the participants experienced increased quality of life, a greater propensity to use their affected arm, and enhanced task performance without exhibiting motor changes. Additionally, the Core treatment gaming device was reported by the participants to be very motivating as a modality in the therapy setting.
The recently developed ARMTUTOR uses a series of custom made games to encourage stroke victims to use their affected limb(s).
The ARMTUTOR system has been created to allow for functional rehabilitation of the shoulder, elbow and wrist or upper extremity. The system consists of an ergonomic wearable arm brace and dedicated physical rehabilitation software. The ARMTUTOR system allows for interactive rehabilitation exercise and a range of biomechanical evaluations including speed, passive and active range of motion and motion analysis of the upper extremity. This quantitative data allows Physical and occupational therapists (OT) (PT) to customize the right exercise parameters to the patient‘s movement ability and report on the patient’s exercise progress. The ARMTUTOR rehabilitation concept is based on performing controlled and repetitive exercise rehabilitation practice through the use of various games. The games are at a patient customized level with real time accurate feedback on the patient’s performance. The rehabilitation games are suitable for a wide variety of neurological and orthopedic injury and disease.
The games challenge the patient to perform the exercise at a customized difficulty level. This level is set by the occupational or physical therapist and encourages the patient to do intensive repetitive exercise practice.
The ARMTUTOR allows for isolated and a combination of elbow and three directional shoulder treatment. The system provides detailed performance instructions and precise feedback on the patient’s exercise performance. Overall. controlled exercise of multijoints within a normal movement pattern will prevent the patient developing an undesired and compensatory joint performance of functional tasks movement pattern and this will ensure better results.
The ARMTUTOR and its sister devices (LEGTUTOR, HANDTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) are used wordwide in hospitals and clinics. They can be used at home through telerehabilitation. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Multiple Sclerosis and the Tutor Sytem

According to a study by A. Solari MD etal from the Istituto Nazionale Neurologico in Milan, Italy, physical rehabilitation has a positive effect on disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients
Although physical rehabilitation is commonly administered to MS patients, its efficacy has not been established.
The study assessed the efficacy of an inpatient physical rehabilitation program on impairment, disability, and
quality of life of MS patients with a randomized, single-blind, controlled trial.
The results showed that there were no changes in impairment that occurred in either group.
The study group improved in overall health-related quality of life.
The conclusions reached were that despite unchanging impairment, physical rehabilitation resulted in an improvement in disability and had a positive impact on mental components of health-related quality of life perception at 3 and 9 weeks.
The TUTOR system has shown itself to be an effective rehabilitation tool for MS patients.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation and physical therapy for interactive rehabilitation exercise. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented feedback and encourage motor learning through intensive active exercises. These exercises are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive training tailored to the patient’s performance. This training is tailored and customized by the occupational and physical therapist to ensure that the patient stays motivated to do intensive repetitive manual therapy and exercise practice.
The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. and foreign hospitals with the TUTORS being used in clinics and in the patient’s home. Home care patients can be supported by the occupational and physical therapist offering tele-rehabilitation. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Hand Function, Ulnar Nerve Injuries Treated by Hand and Arm Tutor

According to an article in the ”Journal of Trauma-Injury Infection & Critical Care” written by Drs.Sandra Kalmijn, Paul D.Kuypers etal
Forearm and wrist injuries are a common cause of morbidity and are associated with suboptimal recovery of hand function. The authors discuss comparisons and outcome after median, ulnar, or combined median-ulnar nerve injuries.
They concluded that peripheral nerve injuries at the forearm level can bring a result in substantial functional loss and have major social consequences. They identified factors influencing return to work that can be used to optimize postoperative treatment strategy.
When it comes to physical rehabilitation for forearm or Ulnar nerve surgeries the HANDTUTOR and ARMTUTOR are among the best tools available to return the patient to normal movement ability.
The TUTORS have been developed to allow for functional rehabilitation of the whole body including the upper and lower extremity. The TUTORS consist of ergonomic wearable braces and include dedicated rehabilitation software that provide patient instructions and feedback to encourage intensive controlled exercise practice. The HANDTUTOR is used to give hand therapy to patients with Radial/Ulnar nerve and Brachial Plexus injuries, SCI, Parkinson’s disease, CP, MS,or stroke . Hand, arm and leg surgery rehabilitation are also assisted by the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR. The TUTOR system allows for controlled exercise of multijoints within the normal movement pattern which prevents the development of undesired and compensatory joint movement.
The new TUTOR system is a medical, physical and occupational therapy rehabilitation device that is used by children as well as adults and through the use of telerehabilitation. They are FDA and CE certified. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Functional Recovery Following Stroke Assisted by the Tutor System

In the November, December 2011 issue of the Journal:Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation there is an article written by Drs. Eric Wade and Carolee J. Winstein of the
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
To promote functional recovery after a stroke it requires innovative and collaborative approaches to neurorehabilitation research. Task-oriented training (TOT) approaches that include challenging, adaptable, and meaningful activities have led to successful outcomes in several definitive trials. This, along with recent technological advances of virtual reality and devices like the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR, provide an environment for furthering clinical research in neurorehabilitation.
Both virtual reality and the TUTORS make use of multimodal sensory interfaces to affect human behavior. In the therapeutic setting, these systems can be used to quantitatively monitor, manipulate, and augment the users’ interaction with their environment, with the goal of promoting functional recovery.
The TUTORS provide just such functional recovery following a stroke. The innovative devices include challenging activities leading to successful outcomes.
The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are motion capture gloves and arm and leg braces that implement an impairment oriented training based program with augmented feedback and encourage motor learning through intensive and repetitive exercises. The exercise practice is the physical and occupational therapist’s tool to improve the patient’s sensory, motor and cognitive movement ability. The TUTORs use movement feedback and dedicated rehabilitation games to make sure that the exercises performed by the patient who had a stroke, spinal cord/brain injury , Cerebral palsy, or after orthopedic surgery and trauma are challenging and motivating to the patient. This is because, the physiotherapist or occupational therapist can tailor the repetitive exercises to the patient’s exercise performance ability. Currently part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. and foreign hospitals the TUTORS are also used in clinics and at home through the use of telerehabilitation using the internet. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for further information

How the Tutors Are Used in Rehabilitative Therapy for Non-Restrained Limbs

Reported on Jan 17, 2012 for EXPRESSINDIA.COM
Scientists say, Did you break your dominant right hand? Don’t worry about it. Your brain will know it and will compensate for it by enabling you to function better like a lefty.
Researchers from the University of Zurich in Switzerland found that when people have a sling or cast on their dominant hand after an injury, brain areas that are responsible for compensating for the injured side build up.
“LiveScience” reported that the researchers also saw decreases in the size of brain areas sidelined because of the cast .
The researchers studied 10 right-handed people who had an injury to their upper right arm and had to wear a cast or sling for at least 2 weeks, restricting that hand to little or no movement during that time period.
Because of the restriction, the participants had to use their normal left hand for all daily activities, such as using a toothbrush, writing or eating. None of the participants had a brain injury, nerve injury or psychiatric disease.
Researchers took magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the subjects’ brains to measure the amount of gray and white matter in the brain within two days of the injury and then 16 days after they began wearing the sling.
The researchers also tested the participants’ motor skills, including their arm-hand and wrist-finger movements.
Grey and white brain matter in the brain increased or decreased depending on whether the hand was restrained or not. There was an increase if the hand was unrestricted and there was a decrease if the hand was immobilized.
The structural changes in the brain are associated with skill transfer from the right hand to the left hand.
The findings are crucial to better understand or adjust rehabilitation therapy for people who have suffered strokes or other disabling injuries or illnesses.
(It isn’t known whether the brain matter changes were permanent or not.)
When there is an affected limb due to an injury or disease the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR and LEGTUTOR have shown to be superb medical devices in physical rehabilitation.
These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourages motor learning through intensive active exercises and movement practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR consist of wearable glove and braces that detect limb movements showing the patient how much active or assisted movement they are actually accomplishing. The rehabilitation software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target in terms of the patient’s ability to move their limb. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback on the success to the patient in this new objective. In this way the patient is given feedback that allows him to understand which effort is more successful in moving their affected limb again. Subsequently the TUTOR system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive exercise practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Stroke Patient’s Extremity Movements Improved with Arm and Leg Tutors

Debbie Rand, OT, PhD etal of the Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel describes a study of post stroke functionality.
It is known that inpatient rehabilitation may enhance an individual’s functional ability after stroke however it is not known whether these improvements are accompanied by an increase in daily use of the arms and legs. It was determined to compare the values of inpatient rehabilitation with community-dwelling older adults. The results showed that stroke patients demonstrated a significant increase in mobility function, and this was accompanied by an increase in daily walking over the entire day as well as in PT. However, increases in daily walking were found predominantly in patients who were wheelchair users at the time of admission. Despite significant improvements in paretic hand function, no increase in daily use of the paretic or nonparetic hand was found over the entire day or in PT. The conclusions reached were that a disparity between functional recovery and increases in daily use of the upper and lower extremities was found during inpatient stroke rehabilitation.
The newly developed HAND, ARM and LEG TUTORS have shown a remarkable success rate in improving the normal mobility of stroke patients.
The HANDTUTOR is a glove for hand therapy and the ARMTUTOR is an arm brace for elbow and shoulder rehabilitation. The LEGTUTOR is a leg brace for leg and hip. The system is indicated for patients who have suffered TBI, a stroke, SCI, CP, MS, Parkinson’s disease and other mobility restraining illnesses. It is used by occupational therapists and physiotherapists in rehabilitation centers, private clinics and the home where it can be supported by telerehabilitation. It is designed for those who have head, trunk, upper and lower extremity movement dysfunction.
The accompanying software system consists of motivating and challenging games that allow the patient to practice isolated and/or interjoint coordination exercises. The dedicated rehabilitation software allows the physical and occupational therapist to fully customize the exercises to the patient’s movement ability. In addition, the OT and PT can make objective follow up and reports on their patient’s progress. Rehabilitation aims to optimizes the patient’s motor, sensory and cognitive performance and allows the patient to better perform everyday functional tasks to improve their quality of life.
The TUTORS are certified by the FDA and CE See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Tutors Effective in Constraint Induced Movement Therapy

Crystal Phend, Senior Staff Writer for MedPage Today on January 16, 2012 discusses a new theory that is being published media wide but really is a rehash of the well established CIMT method of limb rehabilitation. If one wears a cast or splint it will cause the brain to rapidly shift its resources to make righties function better as lefties. This according to recent studies by researchers. Nicolas Langer, MSc, of the University of Zurich in Switzerland reported that right-handed individuals whose dominant arm had to be immobilized after an injury had a drop in cortical thickness in the area that controls primary motor and sensory areas for the hand. During the same two-week period, gray and white matter increased in the areas that controlled the uninjured left hand, suggesting “skill transfer from the right to the left hand,” as reported in the Jan. 17 issue of Neurology. Performance on motor skill tests showed a big boost in scores for the left hand over the two weeks after injury presumably from compensating for the immobilized right hand in daily activities. Likewise, Constraint Induced Movement Therapy(CIMT) is a unique treatment approach used for rehabilitation of the upper limb (arm/hand) following neurological damage. After a neurological event such as a stroke it is common for people to develop a tendency not to use their weaker arm which can lead to learned non-use or in some cases neglect of the weaker arm. CIMT aims to increase the amount of use and quality of movement of the weaker arm by following a structured treatment program developed by researchers in the USA. The treatment program works by producing ‘rewiring’ of the brain; this means that a larger part of the brain becomes active when producing movement of the weaker arm. This program is underpinned by several research studies which have proven benefits, particularly for stroke patients. The program involves a number of components in particular the use of repetitive task-oriented training. This involves the person practicing a series of short tasks with the weaker arm for several hours a day over a two to three week period under supervision by a trained therapist. Whilst using the weaker arm the unaffected side is restrained, for example by wearing a mitt or glove to continually remind the person to use the weaker arm. The person is encouraged to use the weaker arm outside of the treatment program for functional tasks at home whilst wearing the glove or mitt and is provided with a series of home assignments to complete. Research has proven that such intensive and repetitive use of the weaker arm over this short period leads to increased use of the weaker arm as well as improved quality of movement . The ARMTUTOR and HANDTUTOR have been at the forefront of physical therapy rehabilitation for stroke victims as well as for a host of other physical disabilities using CIMT. The TUTOR system consists of ergonomic wearable devices together with powerful dedicated rehabilitation software. The system is indicated for patients in rehabilitation centers, private clinics and the home where it can be supported by telerehabilitation. It is designed for those who have head, trunk, upper and lower extremity movement dysfunction. The TUTOR system consists of motivating and challenging games that allow the patient to practice isolated and/or interjoint coordination exercises. Controlled exercise practice will help to prevent the development of compensatory movement patterns. The dedicated software allows the therapist to fully customize the exercises to the patient’s movement ability. In addition the therapist can objectively and quantitatively evaluate and report on the treatment progress. The rehabilitation system optimizes the patient’s motor, sensory and cognitive performance and allows the patient to better perform everyday functional tasks to improve their quality of life. The TUTOR system is FDA and CE certified. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Tutors Help Cognitive Developement

16 January 2012
San Antonio Military Medical Center researchers are conducting a trial for a new therapy to improve some of the chronic symptoms of traumatic brain injury.
The study is meant to determine the best treatment for combat soldiers who are suffering from difficulties with attention, concentration, memory and judgement.
Douglas B Cooper,the trial leader, explained that the Study of Cognitive Rehabilitation Effectiveness (Score) is designed to treat long term patients .
He explained that there have been many interventions used to help people with traumatic brain injury during the first few days after the incident.
“We don’t have as many good interventions later on – six to twenty four months post-injury,” he said.
He explained that cognitive rehabilitation involves a number of interventions designed to help people with brain injuries manage, reduce, or cope with cognitive deficits.
The TUTORS have been designed to optimize cognitive performance and also to better perform everyday functional tasks.
Rehabilitation using the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR is being done in the USA at major rehabiliaiton in-patient and out-patient clinics as well as at private physical therapy clinics. Many patients including stroke and cerebral palsy as well as those who have had a TBI or Spinal cord injury can also avail themselves of the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR through the use of tele rehabilitation.
The TUTORS have been developed to allow for functional rehabilitation of the whole body including the upper and lower extremity. The system consists of ergonomic wearable devices and dedicated rehabilitation software that provide patient instructions and feedback to encourage intensive massed controlled exercise practice. In this way, the TUTOR system allows for controlled exercise of multijoints within the normal movement pattern which prevents the development of undesired and compensatory joint movement and therefore ensures better performance of functional tasks. This is important in stroke, brain, spinal cord (SCI) and Cerebral palsy rehabilitation in addition to other neurological and orthopedic injury and diseases. Additional features of the TUTOR system include quantitative evaluation and objective follow up that is important in the physiotherapists treatment of the stroke patient. The TUTORS are FDA and CE certified. The new medical devices,the TUTOR system, are available for children as well as adults. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Tutors Afford Meaningful Physical Activity to CP Patients

Dr. Deborah Thorpe writes that sixty percent of persons with cerebral palsy (CP) in the United States are over the age of fifteen with life expectancies similar to those of the unaffected population but still strongly related to a degree of severity. Cooper et. al. in a study about physical activity and health among people with disabilities found that activity level was significantly correlated with years of survival in adults who had CP. Other investigators concluded that adults with cerebral palsy were probably not engaging in sufficient physical activity to produce the improvements in fitness that would be necessary to experience health benefits.
A few studies have addressed progressive strength training on land in adults with CP with significant improvements in muscle strength, walking speed, and gross motor movement. However water is being used as an optional exercise medium to land with this population. By utilizing the beneficial properties of water such as buoyancy, neutral warmth, and variable resistance and eliminating the negative effects of gravity, persons with CP can optimize their full movement potential in such an aquatic environment while maintaining joint integrity.
The TUTORS (HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) afford such strength training as may be necessary to achieve normal movement ability.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation and physical therapy for CP, brain and spinal cord injury patients as well as a host of other joint disabling illnesses. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented feedback that encourages intensive practice and motor learning through active exercises. The exercises are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive training tailored to the patient’s performance, motor, sensory and cognitive movement ability. Customized, simple but powerful rehabilitation software allows the physical and occupational therapist the ability to adjust the program and exercise difficulty to the patient’s movement ability. The system also includes objective quantitative evaluations that allow the physiotherapist and his occupational therapist colleagues to report on the patient’s exercise progress. Telerehabilitation features allow the HANDTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, ARMTUTOR and the 3DTUTOR to be supported by the physical rehabilitation team when the patient is at home. This ensures that the patient is motivated to do more practice between treatments by the therapists. The TUTOR system is suitable for children as well as adults. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

How the Tutor System Can Be Effective in Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy

The following discussion was posted on January 15, 2012 for the Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation.
Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), has been used in the adult stroke population for years but recently, this type of therapy has come to the attention of therapists who work with children who suffer from hemiplegia (weakness on one side of the body because of an injury to the brain)., CIMT focuses on regaining movement on the affected side of the body by restraining the non-affected arm, thereby forcing the child to learn to move the affected arm more effectively and efficiently.
There is increasing evidence that this therapy may result in positive structural changes in the brain, which prompted Brady and Garcia (Dev Disabil Res Rev 2009), to comment that CIMT is an example of an emerging shift in rehabilitation of CNS injury, from an emphasis on compensatory skills to a hope for partial restoration., Research reports have generally shown a favorable response to CIMT, although questions remain about what is the critical level of intensity of therapy necessary for a positive effect i.e. how much? how frequently?. Just like with any new therapy, another important question is whether it is better to what is already available and being used, perhaps at less expense.The Tutors are one of the most cost effective physical rehabilitation systems.
A recent article by Wallen and colleagues where they compared a modified form of CIMT with intensive occupational therapy on normal daily activities and upper limb outcomes in children with hemiplegic CP concluded that modified constraint-induced therapy is no more effective than intensive occupational therapy.(Dev Med Child Neurol 2011).
Whether Wallen or the study by Brady and Garcia is correct the TUTOR system (HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) is in the forefront of physical rehabilitation for children from the age of 4 or 5 receiving their therapy. The HANDTUTOR and its sister devices have been developed to teach children how to reuse their joints after hand and wrist injuries such as trauma or after hand surgery e.g. tendon transfer. In addition stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries, CP, MS, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and a host of other serious debilitating diseases that affect hand and wrist and arm movement ability can be treated with the HANDTUTOR and the ARMTUTOR.
The unique and successful devices use a dedicated software that utilizes games to enhance and improve the patient’s functional movement ability. It does this by motivating the patient to do intensive movement practice which is the key element in an occupational and physical therapist’s treatment of movement impairments. The games, such as, Car Race, Snowball, Catch The Ball, Sky Defender and others captivate and motivate the child to excel and thereby to improve their range of motion and general use of the hand or wrist.
The TUTORS also use tele rehabilitation for those patients that are home bound or who have recovered sufficiently to get their treatment at home. Leading U.S. and foreign hospitals and outpatient clinics now use the devices which can treat adults as well. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

HandTutor Aims to Optimize Cognitive Performance for TBI Victims

Elaine Sanchez reported in a Jan.12 news story for the American Forces Press Service Jan 15, 2012 in a report for the Office of Health and Safety about the work at the San Antonio, Texas Military Medical Center. It is aimed at finding the best treatment for veterans experiencing traumatic brain injury symptoms as much as two years after their injuries.
A study is being conducted by a team at the San Antonio Military Medical Center where they are trying out cognitive rehabilitation therapy to improve chronic, mild symptoms of traumatic brain injuries.
Sanchez reported the Study of Cognitive Rehabilitation Effectiveness trial, will look for the best treatment methodology for combat veterans who experience symptoms from three months to two years after their injuries.
Douglas B. Cooper, the study’s leader and a clinical neuropsychologist for the medical center’s Traumatic Brain Injury Service, said they have various ways of helping a TBI patient in the first few days following a concussion. However, there are fewer good interventions at their disposal six months, a year, or two years afterward according to her article. Cooper is the director of the Military Brain Injury Rehabilitation Research Consortium.
Cooper and his colleagues will treat 160 patients in 6 week cycles during a period of 2 to 3 years, using interventions that may include individual appointments,computer treatments, group sessions, or behavioral health. Her article says a DoD database shows that more than 202,000 members of the military suffered a traumatic brain injury between the years 2000 and 2010 while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The HANDTUTOR improves fine motor, sensory and cognitive impairments through intensive active exercises with augmented feedback.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation and physical and occupational therapy. These innovative devices implement an impairment based exercise program with augmented feedback and encourage motor learning through intensive active exercises. Manual therapy is the provision of exercise practice by an occupational and physical therapist. As the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR allow the PT and OT to customize the exercises, the patient is given motivating tasks through computer games with biofeedback that give them the correct dose of manual therapy. This means that the Parkinson’s, stroke, CP or TBI patient is given exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive training tailored to the patient’s performance.
Even patients with severe movement dysfunction can benefit from intensive exercise practice as the TUTOR system picks up even small angles of joint movement. The TUTOR system also allows the OT and PT to make objective reports and evaluations on the patient’s movement ability so his progress can be maintained and shown to both himself and his family. This is also a strong motivation to carry on training and improve movement and functional everyday living ability. The HANDTUTOR and ARMTUTOR are a major part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. and foreign hospitals. The TUTORS are also used in clinics and at home care supported by telerehabilitation. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Tutor System One of the Best Tools in Physical Rehabilitation for TBI Patients

The causes of traumatic brain injuries are as different as the group gathered at the Central Coast Center for Independent Living. But the common thread is the string of symptoms and deficits — memory problems, disorganized thinking, a constant sense of feeling overwhelmed, loss of normal limb mobility — that they will cope with for the rest of their lives.
The initial intensity of those symptoms usually decreases, with neurologists agreeing the most significant recovery occurs within the first 2 or 3 years. But after that, whatever level of recovery survivors achieve largely depends on their ability to develop coping strategies that are effective.
Brain injuries are classified into 3 categories- mild, moderate or severe .The symptoms range from confusion and lightheadedness following a concussion to coma following an attack or assault — and the prognosis for recovery becomes worse depending on the severity.
Most people who have had a serious TBI will experience changes in their behavioral and emotional changes and cognitive skills including:
Memory
Judgment
Attention or concentration
Multitasking
Organization
Decision making
Difficulty deciphering nonverbal signals
Trouble following conversations
Difficulty in social situations
Difficulty with self-control
Verbal or physical outbursts
Irritability
Lack of empathy
When TBI causes lack of mobility in one or more of the patient‘s limbs the TUTOR system has become one of the best tools to improve that mobility.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR, for example, have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation for TBI and stroke victims and those recovering from spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s, MS, CP and other limb movement limitations. The HANDTUTOR is a hand therapy tool used by Occupational therapists. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourages motor learning through intensive active exercises and movement practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR consist of wearable glove and braces that detect limb movements showing the patient how much active or assisted active movement they are actually accomplishing. The rehabilitation software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target in terms of the patient’s ability to move their limb. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback on the success of the patient in this new objective. In this way the patient is given feedback that allows the patient to understand which effort is more successful in allowing them to move their affected limb again. Subsequently the TUTOR system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive exercise practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

ArmTutor Noted as the Proper Intervention in Post Stroke Therapy

Hilde M. Feys, PT etal of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, University of Leuven , Belgium write about the Effects of a Therapeutic Intervention for the Hemiplegic Upper Limb in the Acute Phase After Stroke.

Arm function recovery is notoriously poor in stroke patients. The effect of treatment modalities, particularly those directed at improving upper limb function, has been studied primarily in chronic stroke patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a specific therapeutic intervention on arm function in the acute phase after stroke.
The Conclusions reached were that adding a specific intervention during the acute phase after stroke improved motor recovery, which was apparent 1 year later. These results emphasize the potential beneficial effect of therapeutic interventions for the arm.
The ARMTUTOR is the newly developed intervention to train and exercise the functionability of the affected limb.
The ARMTUTOR™ and HANDTUTOR system (as well as the LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) has been developed to allow for functional rehabilitation of the upper extremity including the shoulder, elbow and wrist. The system consists of an ergonomic wearable glove and arm brace together with dedicated rehabilitation software. The ARMTUTOR™ and HANDTUTOR system allow the physical and occupational therapist to report on and evaluate the patients functional rehabilitation progress. This allows the OT and PT to prescribe the right customized and motivating intensive exercise practice which is the cornerstone to manual rehabilitation therapy. Intensive repetition of movement is achieved through challenging games set to the patients movement ability.
The system provides detailed exercise performance instructions and precise feedback on the patients exercise performance. Controlled exercise of multijoints within the normal movement pattern prevents the development of undesired and compensatory joint movement and ensures better performance of functional tasks. Telerehabilitation allows the recovering patient to continue his physical therapy at home.
See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Lack of Balance Can be Alleviated with the Tutor System

Many patients suffering from neurological illnesses such as stroke, head or spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, CP, MS and others also suffer from a lack of balance. The TUTOR system has been created recently to assist in alleviating the symptoms of this problem.
To improve balance the patient has to do repetitive exercise practice in order to increase their motor sensory movement ability. The TUTOR uses the concept of repetitive massed practice through rehabilitation games that are customized to the patients movement ability by the OT and PT. The TUTOR System - HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR allows the PT and OT to set the rehabilitation game to the patient’s movement ability. While doing the exercise practice with the TUTORS the patient will receive augmented motion feedback on the position of their limb. The OT and PT will therefore use the games with balance exercises and the patient will receive augmented motion feedback on the position of their limb. By practicing the controlled exercises prescribed by the OT and PT the patient will improve their balance and proprioception ability. The resulting improvement in the patient’s movement ability including balance which will allow the patient to better do functional tasks such as walking. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

HandTutor Shows Improvement in Cognitive Impairments

By Elaine Sanchez for the American Forces Press Service


SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 12, 2012 – A military study is aiming to aid troops with mild TBI. Experts at the San Antonio Military Medical Center here have launched a military study aimed at improving results for active and non active service members suffering from traumatic brain injury.

The Study of Cognitive Rehabilitation Effectiveness, aka the SCORE trial, is examining cognitive rehabilitation therapy’s value as a treatment for veterans with mild TBI.

The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments joined on this study to determine the best treatment for combat and non combat troops who are experiencing mild TBI symptoms — such as difficulties with attention, concentration, judgment and memory. according to Douglas B. Cooper, the study’s clinical neuropsychologist for the Traumatic Brain Injury Service.

The goal of the trial is to determine if cognitive rehabilitation therapy improves chronic mild TBI symptoms and, if so, which interventions work best.

Cognitive rehabilitation, Cooper explained, includes a variety of interventions that help the patient with brain injuries to reduce, manage or cope with cognitive deficits. It’s mostly used to treat patients with brain injuries, whether they are from concussions, penetrating brain injuries or strokes.

Cooper said his team will look at each treatment to see which interventions have proven most successful and for whom.

The HANDTUTOR system implements an impairment based rehabilitation program with augmented feedback and encourages motor learning. Improvement in motor and cognitive impairments combined with traduitional functional exercise speeds up functional recovery.

The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation and physical and occupational therapy. These innovative devices implement an impairment based exercise program with augmented feedback and encourage motor learning through intensive active exercises. Manual therapy is the provision of exercise practice by an occupational and physical therapist. As the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR allow the PT and OT to customize the exercises, the patient is given motivating tasks through computer games with biofeedback that give them the correct dose of manual therapy. This means that the TBI, Parkinson’s, stroke or CP patient is given exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive training tailored to the patient’s performance.

Even patients with severe movement dysfunction can benefit from intensive exercise practice as the TUTOR system picks up even small angles of joint movement. The TUTOR system also allows the OT and PT to make objective reports and evaluations on the patient’s movement ability so his progress can be maintained and shown to both himself and his family. This is also a strong motivation to carry on training and improve movement and functional everyday living ability. The HANDTUTOR and ARMTUTOR are a major part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. and foreign hospitals. The TUTORS are also used in clinics and at home care supported by telerehabilitation. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

New Indian Tribe Clinic and the Tutor System

Dr. Heechin Chae, chief of the Traumatic Brain Injury Department at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia has been chosen to establish a traumatic brain injury (TBI) clinic with The Pocasset Pokanoket Tribe.
Dr. Chae has had some successful outcomes as medical director at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts since 2008. Dr. Chae often treats caregivers and families of soldiers, veterans, as well as athletes.
Beginning in southeastern Massachusetts, the Pocassets intend to open post acute rehabilitation therapy clinics for TBI patients,with new and innovative interdisciplinary low tech, high touch, high repetition approaches to rehabilitation. The clinics will care for 100 patients and be located near and around major population centers.
It has been suggested that Dr. Chae include the newly developed TUTOR system into the list of therapeutic tools used in the treatment programs.
Occupational and physical therapists use the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR – -known as the TUTOR system as a manual therapy tool to help them with their rehabilitative work.
The TUTOR system has shown much success in rehabilitation of joint movement. The newly developed TUTORS consist of ergonomic wearable devices. The HANDTUTOR is a glove for hand therapy and the ARMTUTOR is an arm brace for elbow and shoulder rehabilitation. The LEGTUTOR is a leg brace for leg and hip treatment. The system is indicated for patients who have suffered TBI, a stroke, SCI, CP, MS, Parkinson’s disease and other mobility restraining illnesses. It is used by occupational therapists and physiotherapists in rehabilitation centers, private clinics and the home where it can be supported by telerehabilitation. It is designed for those who have head, trunk, upper and lower extremity movement dysfunction.
The accompanying software system consists of motivating and challenging games that allow the patient to practice isolated and/or interjoint coordination exercises. The dedicated rehabilitation software allows the physical and occupational therapist to fully customize the exercises to the patient’s movement ability. In addition, the OT and PT can make objective follow up and reports on their patient’s progress. Rehabilitation aims to optimize the patient’s motor, sensory and cognitive performance and allows the patient to better perform everyday functional tasks to improve their quality of life. The TUTORS are certified by the FDAand CE. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Tutors Contribute to Quality of Life Improvement for Parkinson’s Patients

Matilde Leonardi of the Neurology, Public Health, and Disability Unit, Scientific Directorate. Neurological Institute “Carlo Besta” IRCCS Foundation. Milan, Italy, et al, conducted a study to determine the degree of quality of life issues faced by patients who suffer from Parkinson’s disease published online September 1, 2011. .
Patients with Parkinson’s disease who suffer from a variety of motor and nonmotor symptoms reported reduced quality of life and increased disability. The aims of the study were to assess the impact of Parkinson’s disease on disability and quality of life and to evaluate them.
The 96 person study used the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule.
Parkinson’s disease is strongly associated with reduced quality of life, increased disability and NMS prevalence.
The TUTOR system has been in the forefront of physical rehabilitation tools for Parkinson’s disease patient recovery.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation and physical and occupational therapy. These innovative devices implement an impairment based exercise program with augmented feedback and encourage motor learning through intensive active exercises. Manual therapy is the provision of exercise practice by an occupational and physical therapist. As the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR allow the PT and OT to customize the exercises, the patient is given motivating tasks through computer games with biofeedback that give him the correct dose of manual therapy. This means that the Parkinson’s, stroke, CP or TBI patient is given exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive training tailored to the patient’s performance.
Even patients with severe movement dysfunction can benefit from intensive exercise practice as the TUTOR system picks up even small angles of joint movement. The TUTOR system also allows the OT and PT to make objective reports and evaluations on the patient’s movement ability so his progress can be maintained and shown to both himself and his family. This is also a strong motivation to carry on training and improve movement and functional everyday living ability and thereby improved quality of life.
The HANDTUTOR and ARMTUTOR are a major part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. and foreign hospitals. The TUTORS are also used in clinics and at home care supported by telerehabilitation. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Tutors Effective Tool for TBI Rehabilitation.

A leading cause of death and disability among persons in the United States is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Yearly, an estimated one and a half million Americans sustain a TBI. 50,000 people die, 230,000 people are hospitalized and survive, and approximately 80,000-90,000 people experience the onset of long-term disability resulting from these injuries.
In patient hospitalization rates have declined since more improvements are made in treatment and the patients can be treated in outpatient units instead. The large amount of TBI in the United States requires public health measures to prevent these injuries and to improve their consequences. Surveillance systems run by the state can provide reliable data on injury causes and risk factors, identify trends in TBI incidence, enable the development of cause-specific prevention strategies focused on populations with the greatest risk, and monitor how effective these programs are. State follow-up registries, built on surveillance systems, can provide more information regarding the frequency and nature of disabilities associated with TBI. This information can help states and communities design, implement, and evaluate cost-effective programs for people living with TBI and for their families, addressing acute care, rehabilitation, and vocational, community support and school .
During the physical rehabilitation process the TUTORS (HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) play an important role for TBI patients.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR, for example, have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation for TBI and stroke victims and those recovering from spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s, MS, CP and other limb movement limitations. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourages motor learning through intensive active exercises and movement practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR consist of wearable glove and braces that detect limb movements showing the patient how much active or assisted active movement they are actually accomplishing. The rehabilitation software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target in terms of the patient’s ability to move their limb. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback on the success of the patient in this new objective. In this way the patient is given feedback that allows the patient to understand which effort is more successful in allowing them to move their affected limb again. Subsequently the TUTOR system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive exercise practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

The Tutor System and Traumatic Brain Injury

According to the Brain Injury Association of America 1.7 million people suffer a TBI each year in the U.S. Of these,between 75% and 90% are categorized as Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI).
• MTBIs cost the nation nearly $17 billion each year.
• Research indicates that up to 15% of patients diagnosed
with MTBI may have persistent, disabling problems.
The TUTOR System has been in the forefront of rehabilitation for Brain Injury patients.
Victims of brain injury and stroke can benefit greatly from the TUTOR system– the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and the 3DTUTOR. The TUTOR system is being used successfully in leading U.S. and foreign hospitals and clinics and is also benefiting home care patients through the use of telerehabilitation.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation and physical therapy for brain injury patients. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented feedback that encourages intensive practice and motor learning through active exercises. The exercises are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive training tailored to the patient’s performance and motor and sensory and cognitive movement ability. Customized, simple but powerful rehabilitation software allows the physical and occupational therapist the ability to adjust the program and exercise difficulty to the patient’s movement ability. The system also includes objective quantitative evaluations that allow the physiotherapist and his occupational therapist colleagues to report on the patient’s exercise progress. Telerehabilitation features allow the HANDTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, ARMTUTOR and the 3DTUTOR to be supported by the physical rehabilitation team when the patient is at home. This ensures that the patient is motivated to do more practice between treatments by the therapists. The TUTOR system is suitable for children as well as adults.
See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

HandTutor Important Tool in Physiotherapy by Telerehabilitation

Fereshteh Ghasemi of Payame Noor University,Tehran, Iran discusses the topic of
Telerehabilitation or E-rehabilitation. It is the delivery of rehabilitation services over telecom
networks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are about 650 million people with
disabilities worldwide; these statistics drive the need for a more applicable Telehealthcare Systems. This
research aims to provide a design description of a novel multilateral telerehabilitation system for patients with
diminished hand function that need minimum interaction between patient and therapist. The proposed
configuration consists of the Central Intelligent System (CIS) including multi-function modules in a
homepage for patients in a physiotherapy office, and a Hand Rehabilitation System including a Robot, Motion
Analysis Module or the HANDTUTOR in the patient’s home. This system works with a
diagnostic feedback from a Hand Rehabilitation System to the Central Intelligent System (CIS). The patient affixes
sensors on his hand and proceeds with daily activity. Data transmitted by WSN will be analyzed by the Motion
Analysis Module in order to diagnose the latest degree of recovery. Information is fed back automatically
to the CIS through the network. An appropriate program corresponding to the information will be
prepared by CIS and transmitted into the robot. After doing exercises by the system, joint angles are measured
and sent to the CIS again to diagnose the level of patient recovery. Cost of care using this configuration is
reduced significantly.
In the case of the HANDTUTOR no robots are used because they inhibit the patient from using his own power to develop normal mobility. The telerehabilitation system allows a live OT or PT to monitor the therapy sessions via the HANDTUTOR system as the patient maneuvers through the dedicated software on his computer.
The HANDTUTOR and its sister devices ( ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) have been developed to teach children and adults how to reuse their joints after hand and wrist injuries such as trauma or stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries, CP, MS, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and a host of other serious debilitating diseases that affect hand, wrist and arm movement ability. These can be treated with the HANDTUTOR and the ARMTUTOR. The unique and successful devices use a dedicated software that utilizes games to enhance and improve the patient’s functional movement ability by motivating the patient to do intensive movement practice which is the key element in an occupational and physical therapist’s treatment of movement impairments. The games, such as, Car Race, Snowball, Catch The Ball, Sky Defender and others captivate and motivate the child and even the adult to excel and thereby to improve their range of motion and general use of the hand or wrist. The TUTORS use tele rehabilitation for those patients that are home bound or who have recovered sufficiently to get their treatment at home. Leading U.S. and foreign hospitals and outpatient clinics now use the devices which can treat adults as well. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Juvenile CIMT Intervention is Complemented by the ArmTutor in Rehabilitation

Children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) often demonstrate limited reach, grasp, and manipulation in the involved upper extremity. These limitations affect their functional activities, including social play, object play, educational activities and self-care. Most children with unilateral CP learn to perform tasks primarily using their noninvolved arm with minimal to almost no use of the involved arm.
Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is a short-term, intensive intervention that involves constraint of the noninvolved arm and intensive movement practice of the involved arm. Developed in the 1980s it has been successfully used with adults and children. Most protocols for pediatrics consider the child’s age and interests, are specifically adapted to the child’s leve and type of impairment, and usually include an educational component for caregivers to maintain practice of newly gained skills.
After numerous trials depending on age, schedules and other factors the results of a comprehensive study found that pediatric CIMT is a useful intervention producing clinically significant improvements in upper-extremity function of young children with unilateral CP.
When the child is at least 4 years old the ARMTUTOR is an important device used in C.I.M.T. rehabilitation therapy for children with CP caused upper extremity limitations.
The newly developed ARMTUTOR can play an integral part in the C.I.M.T. process. The ARMTUTOR provides the physiotherapist and occupational therapist the ability to customize manual therapy for the arm, shoulder, elbow and wrist. Together with its sister devices (HANDTUTOR,LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) it has been developed to allow for functional rehabilitation of the upper extremity. The ARMTUITOR system consists of an ergonomic wearable arm brace and dedicated rehabilitation software. The ARMTUTOR system allows for the occupational and physical therapists to implement biomechanical evaluations which include speed, passive/active range of motion and motion analysis of the upper extremity. This, to best customize the shoulder and elbow exercises provided by the ARMTUTOR. In addition, quantitative biomechanical data allows for objective evaluation and rehabilitation treatment follow up by the occupational and physical therapist. The ARMTUTOR rehabilitation concept is based on performing controlled and motivating exercise rehabilitation practice at a patient customized level with real time accurate feedback on the patient’s performance. The exercises are designed in the form of challenging games that are suitable for a wide variety of orthopedic injury and disease.The games, which children love, challenge the patient to perform the exercise task to their best ability.
The ARMTUTOR provides detailed exercise performance instructions and precise feedback on the patients performance. This encourages motivation. Controlled exercise of multijoints within the normal movement pattern prevents the development of undesired and compensatory joint movement and ensures better performance of functional tasks.
The ARMTUTOR system is being used by many leading rehabilitation centers worldwide and has full FDA and CE certification. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM