Who Stimulates Physical Therapy?

In a race to produce the newest device allowing limb movement mobility following stroke or other paralyzing diseases or injuries, companies are producing a myriad of robotic instruments aimed to ”assist” the patient to move his affected limb. As an example, a German engineering firm has recently developed a mechanical exo-skeleton that can be worn like a glove to increase productivity for factory workers or help in the rehabilitation of stroke patients. The device uses pneumatic actuators on each finger to simulate the range of human finger movement. The ”actuators move the fingers” so that they can be opened and closed. The disadvantage with such devices are that they are large and cumbersome, are very expensive to use, can only be used where the device exists and, as above, does the work for the patient instead of having the patient learn the movement on his own. The HANDTUTOR, on the other hand, is a small, easy to put on ergonomic glove-like device that fits snugly onto the patient’s hand, allows quite a bit of room to maneuver, is one of the most cost effective medical devices of its type and can be used in the clinic, hospital or even at home through the use of telerehabilitation. Most important, though, is the fact that the patient himself activates the movement and thereby relearns his original skill rather than depending on an outside source to stimulate the limb. The HANDTUTOR and its sister physical therapy products (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) challenges the patient to intensive active exercises through the use of special rehabilitation games. The results are monitored by physical or occupational therapists who then evaluate the patient’s progress and customize a program appropriate for that patient’s ability. The TUTORs are currently in use in leading U.S. and European hospitals and clinics and are fully certified by the FDA and CE. See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.