The Tutor System as a Tool in Cancer Rehabilitation

Cancer and treatment can cause physical problems including pain, fatigue, and muscle weakness. These may then interfere with life in a variety of ways including physically, emotionally and practically. While not all cancer survivors need rehabilitation services that are guided by health care professionals, most will need to at least work on improving strength and stamina.
Expert advice and guidance may help to improve health and ability more quickly and to a greater degree. There are many resources and therapies to help cancer survivors with fatigue, pain, and overall ability to function. Survivors who want to continue to work or return to employment may benefit from rehabilitation services to help them do so.
Some survivors, though, may have muscular or orthopedic problems and there may be uncertainty about how much to exercise or how to best exercise. A plan for rehabilitation can help a survivor to move forward while being as active as possible.
Each member of the rehabilitation team is likely to also work with the patient to develop a plan for their specific area of expertise. For example, a physical therapist will develop a plan to help recover physical strength and abilities. When that occurs it would advantageous to find the best method of doing so. This is where the TUTOR system comes in. The TUTORS ( HANDTUTOR, ARMTUITOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) have been developed to create an intensive exercise program for patients who have suffered from upper or lower extremity surgeries and many other disabling diseases. By involving oneself in the best exercise program normal movement returns to the affected limb.
The newly developed HANDTUTOR, for example, has become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation for TBI and stroke victims and can be used for cancer patients and those recovering from spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s, MS, CP and other limb movement limitations. A plan for rehabilitation can help a survivor to move forward while being as active as possible. The HandTutor is a hand therapy tool used by occupational and physical therapists. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourage 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.