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.