Footdrop (Dropfoot) and its Treatment

“Dropfoot” or as it is sometimes called “Footdrop” is the inability to raise the front part of the foot sometimes dragging it along. Although it is not a disease in itself it emanates from any number of other physical issues ranging from injury to spine or leg muscle. The treatments range from accupuncture to surgery. Physicians around the world have suggested many different approaches.
One of the most effective physical rehabilitation solutions produced involves the use of the LEGTUTOR.
The LEGTUTOR system is a key component of physical therapy for dropfoot and other lower limb disabling medical issues. The LEGTUTOR physical rehabilitation product is an ergonomic wearable leg brace with dedicated rehabilitation software. The LEGTUTOR 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 foot,knee and hip movement ability at their stage of rehabilitation. The LEGTUTOR uses biofeedback to keep the patient motivated to do the exercise practice with those that were designed in the form of challenging games. They are suitable for a wide variety of other neurological and orthopedic injuries and diseases as well as post trauma and orthopedic surgery.
The LEGTUTOR is also used by physical and occupational therapists in combination with the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR and 3DTUTOR for upper and lower extremity rehabilitation. The TUTOR system of rehabilitation products is used by many leading physical therapy centers worldwide and has full FDA and CE certification. It is designed for children and adults and can be used at home supported by telerehabilitation. See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.

Nervous System Ailments and Their Solutions

There are many conditions of the nervous system that can be helped by physical medicine and rehabilitation. These can include:
Functional disorders: Seizure disorder, dizziness, neuralgia or
Infections: Meningitis, encephalitis, polio or
Degenerative disorders: Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s chorea, Alzheimer’s disease or
Structural, traumatic, or neuromuscular disorders: Brain, head, or spinal cord injury; brain or spinal cord tumors; peripheral neuropathy; muscular dystrophy; myasthenia gravis; Guillain-Barré syndrome or
Vascular disorders: Stroke, transient ischemic attack, subarachnoid hemorrhage.
A typical neurological rehabilitation program may include the following: assistance with activities of daily living, speech therapy, activities to improve control and muscle balance, an exercise program, gait and balance retraining, activities to improve cognitive impairments,
The TUTOR system is one of he newest physical rehabilitation solutions and has been developed to achieve a return to normal limb movement, when they are affected, for many of the above ailments. The TUTOR system has shown much success in rehabilitation of joint movement.
The newly developed physical rehabilitation product referred to as the TUTOR system consists 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 telerehabilitation.
The system 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 FDA and CE
See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.

Brachial Plexus Injuries and Their Recovery Possibilities

There is a group of nerves at the base of the neck called Brachial Plexus. It is responsible for conducting nerve signals from the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm, and hand. When the Brachial Plexus is injured physical therapy exercises help heal damaged nerve fibers. Normal nerve function can usually be restored by a range of motion exercises.
It is important to diagnose the severity of damage. Signs of Brachial Plexus injury include weakness or numbness of the arm or hand, or sharp pains that may radiate down the arm. The severity of a Brachial Plexus injury may range from mild inflammation to a complete rupture of the nerve roots.A more extreme injury may leave the arm and shoulder completely paralyzed.For less severe cases, physical therapy may be the answer to healing the injury and regaining normal sensation and mobility.
Range of motion exercises are extremely important to healing the damaged nerves of brachial plexus. These therapeutic exercises facilitate nerve signaling and conduction, as well as promoting an increase in blood flow to the injury, allowing the damaged sites to heal faster. Exercises such as shoulder flexion, extension, and rotation are important to improve muscle function of the upper arm. Supination and pronation of the forearm and circumduction of the wrist is good for joint mobility.
Because of the nature of the cells that make up nerves, it may take some time to heal the injury. Nerve regeneration can take up to four months. It is important to practice patience during the healing time, and to remain active in the physical therapy program to restore optimal arm and hand function.
In the forefront of physical rehabilitation of the Brachial Plexus is the TUTOR system. As part of physical rehabilitation solutions these TUTOR products (HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) have shown remarkable progress in restoring normal movement ability to affected limbs.
Most of the therapy solutions now in use consist of an outside stimulus or force to cause movement of the affected limb. The TUTORS use a more natural system. The patient does the work not a machine or robot. The patient thus learns how to reuse his limb rather than relying or waiting for an independent stimulus. This system has a much preferred lasting effect and also challenges the patient to do more for himself. In addition the TUTORS do assisted active exercise by the PT or OT which is vastly less expensive than a robot. The OT or PT is also multi tasked and can assist the patient in intensive repetitive exercises.
The TUTOR system consists of ergonomic wearable devices together with powerful dedicated rehabilitation software and is indicated for patients who have head, trunk, upper and lower extremity movement dysfunction and are in rehabilitation centers, private clinics and the home where it can be supported by telerehabilitation.
The 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 TUTOR 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.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.

Communicating With Your Physical Therapist

Because a stroke or heart attack may temporarily cause a patient to become bedridden or their movements might be monitored and extremely limited the use of video conferencing technology, telerehabilitation, is designed to revolutionize treatment methods that are used to care for those with limited mobility.
American Telemed explains that telerehabilitation uses complex software in conjunction with video conferencing technology to allow doctors and physical/occupational therapists to interact with their immobile patients on a more regular basis. Travel may not be needed as all treatment is done remotely. It can also allow 24-hour access to a medical professional. In addition, the practicing physician can accurately measure a patient’s progress and discover problematic issues in real-time.
The National Institute of Health, conducted a recent study recently where sixty-five participants received a six-week program of outpatient physical therapy either according to the traditional in-house approach or by means of a teleconference-based rehabilitation program. The goal was to measure specific progress indicators such as the timed “up-and-go” test, quadriceps muscle strength and pain intensity.
The results revealed that the telerehabilitation group was able to achieve outcomes comparable to, or slightly better than those of the conventional rehabilitation group. The alternative treatment was also extremely well received by the included participants, who reported a high level of satisfaction.
The recently developed TUTOR system by MEDITOUCH is one of the most efficient physical rehabilitation devices using telerehabilitation as a means of treating patients with a variety of disabilities.
Established in 2004, MediTouch Ltd. manufactures innovative telerehabilitationsystems featuring the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR that consist of wearable motion capture devices that work together with an interactive games platform and software for virtual physical therapy sessions from home. MediTouch rehabilitation rehabilitation systems allow patients to practice intensive functional rehabilitation systems allow patients to practice intensive functional task training to improve patient‘s lower and upper extremity movement ability.
Currently in use in leading U.S. and European hospitals and rehabilitation clinics the TUTOR devices are fully certified by the FDA and CE. See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.

Traumatic Brain Injury and its Treatment Cost

Traumatic brain injuries are the cause of a substantial number of deaths and permanent disabilities. Some of them are seen. Others are not. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that each year 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury; 52,000 people die while 275,000 are hospitalized. TBIs represent a third of all injury-related deaths in the United States. The numbers are rising fast, because we know more about sports injuries and because of our injured troops in wars. In March 2012, at a news conference about Brain Injury Awareness Month, the Pentagon put the number as high as 360,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who may have suffered brain injuries. Among them are up to 90,000 veterans whose symptoms still persist and require specialized care.
A TBI is caused by a blow, jolt, bump, or penetration to the head that disrupts normal functioning of the brain. The severity can range from ” a brief change in mental status” to ”extended unconsciousness” or amnesia after the injury. Even after “recovery” many survivors cannot return to what they used to do or find other work. The Brain Injury Alliance of Oregon calculated that a survivor of severe brain injury necessitates an expense of between $4.1 million and $9 million in lifetime care.
The TUTOR system of physical rehabilitation is one of the most COST EFFECTIVE medical devices to come on the market recently.
The HANDTUTOR, a glove, for hand therapy; the ARMTUTOR, an arm brace, for arm/shoulder therapy; the LEGTUTOR, a leg brace, and 3DTUTOR for leg/hip therapy are tools for intensive active exercises that have proven beneficial in traumatic brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
Intensive exercise practice has been proven to improve functional movement ability following orthopedic and neurological injury (including SCI and brain injury) as well as disease. Patient motivation and control of the exercise practice are the fundamental factors required for optimum functional recovery and prescribed by occupational and physical therapists. Traditional practice is mostly based on low technology tools that intrinsically lack features to challenge and motivate the patient to do intensive exercise training. This is why biofeedback and motion feedback are the tools of choice to give motivating and controlled manual therapy.
The TUTORs are currently in use in leading U.S. and European hospitals and clinics and are suitable for telerehabilitation.
See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.

Lack of Physical Rehabilitation Services on the African Continent

Imagine a CT scan costing a half month’s salary; an MRI costing a full month’s salary and an surgical procedure costing 52 month’s pay. Ridiculous? Well that’s what it can cost for those procedures in certain African countries. And then only if the equipment and technicians are available.
There are approximately 78 million disabled Africans who are unserved in Physical Medicine and rehabilitation services (PM&R). Mainly this is because there is inadequate manpower and equipment. Most of the health priorities of the African countries lie in issues such as Aids,TB, Malaria and ailments related to pregnancy and child birth.
The Red Cross says that policy reforms regarding the physically disabled are needed. They need help in accessing appropriate orthopaedic and rehabilitation services, an expert stated recently.
The chairperson of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) Special Fund for the Disabled, Prof Claude Le Courte, raised the concern during the on-going 6th congress of the African Federation of Orthopaedic Technicians (FATO).
According to the statement, these reforms have to include changing the policies and delivery system, developing funding mechanisms, increasing human resources, expanding and decentralizing services and delivery, among others.
The World Report on Disability is recommending that all countries should develop a national strategy and/or policy for the delivery of adequate physical rehabilitation services.
She said the main problem facing people with disabilities in low income countries was the cost of rehabilitation services worsened by the cost of accessing the services. She therefore pledged ICRC’s full support to improve access to appropriate physical rehabilitation services for the disabled.
The WHO representative in Tanzania, Dr Rutaro Chatora, said besides the road carnage on Africa’s roads, the problem of disabilities on the continent has been worsened by many wars and civil strife in various countries.
According to a report, last year 43,000 people with disabilities from Africa attended and benefited from various services at ICRC-supported centers. They included provision of prostheses, orthoses, walking and wheelchairs, along with access to appropriate therapy allowing an optimal use of the devices.
One of the devices that can help in recovery of disabled limbs and which is non verbal and therefore usable by most of the African people is the TUTOR system. A relatively inexpensive device that can be purchased by the Red Cross or WHO and delivered to all the rehabilitation centers.
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 legs and hips. 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 private homes 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 FDA and CE. See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.

Telemedicine as a Solution for Post Stroke Physical Therapy

Whether it is called telerehabilitation, telemedicine, tele-physical therapy, tele-physiotherapy or tele-occupational therapy , these systems allow a therapist in a remote location to conduct treatment sessions, using a virtual-environment-based motor-training system, with a patient who is located at home. The system consists of a patient computer with motion-capture equipment and video camera, a therapist computer with video camera, and virtual-environment software that is synchronized over a high-speed Internet connection.
Home-based telerehabilitation interventions have show promising results in improving the health of stroke patients and in supporting caregivers. Telemedicine systems based on a virtual environment for upper extremity exercise can improve the physical health of stroke patients. Health professionals and participants reported high levels of satisfaction and acceptance of telerehabilitation interventions., During performance, the patient can see not only their movement but also the correct trajectory that they have to accomplish. The feedback derived from the patient’s action, its outcome, and feedback from the supervision of the physiotherapist can favour the acquisition of new motor abilities by the patient.
The TUTOR system of telerehabilitation is at the forefront of this recent innovation. Users are those patients who have suffered a stroke or other limb limiting injuries or disease and are not required to be hospitalized any longer or who need continuing therapy sessions and live too far away from clinics. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR have an impairment based rehabilitation program with powerful software and augmented feedback that encourages motor learning. The TUTOR s are medical devices that are part of the entire physical rehabilitation solution industry. These products have been created to allow the therapist, whether right there with the patient or at a remote location, to evaluate and objectively quantify and record the patient’s sessions. This allows for customization of the treatment program. The TUTOR process combined with traditional functional exercises speeds up functional recovery.
Now in use in leading U.S. and European hospitals the TUTOR system is fully certified by the FDA and CE., For more information go to WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL

Cognitive Impairment Solutions

On March 21, 2012 J. Andrew McClure, MSc etal from the Aging, Rehabilitation & Geriatric Care Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, Parkwood Hospital , London, Ontario, Canada published a study as follows:
The Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care suggests that all stroke patients should be screened for cognitive impairment and those who have such impairment as shown on a screening test should receive additional assessment. The purpose of this study was to determine whether care in an Ontario inpatient stroke rehabilitation facility is consistent with these recommendations. The study included 123 patients. The conclusions that were reached were that although the majority of patients were screened for cognitive impairment while in inpatient rehabilitation, few patients were referred for a comprehensive diagnostic examination. Therefore it appears that specific cognitive deficits are likely underidentified in stroke rehabilitation patients in Ontario.
Since rehabilitation aims to optimize motor, sensory and cognitive performance so that the patient can perform everyday functional tasks and therefore improve his daily quality of life it is important that a tool be found to do so for stroke victims and those who suffer from other forms of debilitating illnesses and injuries.
One of the newest physical therapy solutions is the TUTOR system. Consisting of the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR these products improve daily living impairments through the use of intensive active exercises with augmented feedback. The exercises are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive training to be tailored to the patient’s performance. The HANDTUTOR, for example, includes objective quantitative evaluations that provide a thorough documentation of patient performance and thereby allows the physical and occupational therapist to customize an apprppriate rehabilitation program for the patient.
Currently in use in leading U.S. and European hospitals and clinics the TUTOR system is FDA and CE certified.
See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.

Hi Tech Systems Available for Everyone

People that have disabilities are a group within society that could gain much from all the new technologies but somehow they have one of the lowest rates of usage of these technologies. Therefore benefits of using a computer and the internet are underused at best.
Actually one of the reasons for this phenomenon is that a large percentage of these disabled people are poor and therefore don’t have access to this equipment or its monthly maintenance charges. Unfortunately these people don’t understand how the internet and computers can give them a greater sense of independence and would allow them to integrate into society.
Some Internet service providers have come up with a solution and will provide a free computer for those that sign up for a long term subscription. In addition there are simpler user interfaces that are available to allow more comfortable usage of the technology. This is especially helpful to some elderly people. Of course a period of educating this segment of society to the possibilities is necessary before many of them begin to take advantage of the technology. Once that’s accomplished there will have to be training and support afforded to them.
Those that are disabled due to a stroke, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease,upper or lower limb surgery and other disabling illnesses or injuries will find much needed help in one of the newest physical rehabilitation solutions available. The TUTOR system consisting of the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR,LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are part of physical rehabilitation solutions that are now available. Relatively inexpensive the TUTOR system allows for intensive exercises through the use of dedicated and customized software. The HANDTUTOR which is an ergonomic glove and the LEGTUTOR and ARMTUTOR which are braces detect finger, wrist, leg, ankle and hip movements. This information is recorded and allows the therapist to fully customize the treatment session. The exercises thus provide augmented feedback which then leads to enhanced functional rehabilitation. These physical rehabilitation products are in use in leading U.S. and European hospitals and clinics. The TUTOR system can also be used by the patient from his own home through the use of telerehabiliation. See See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM and WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.

Hi Tech Systems Available for Everyone

People that have disabilities are a group within society that could gain much from all the new technologies but somehow they have one of the lowest rates of usage of these technologies. Therefore benefits of using a computer and the internet are underused at best.
Actually one of the reasons for this phenomenon is that a large percentage of these disabled people are poor and therefore don’t have access to this equipment or its monthly maintenance charges. Unfortunately these people don’t understand how the internet and computers can give them a greater sense of independence and would allow them to integrate into society.
Some Internet service providers have come up with a solution and will provide a free computer for those that sign up for a long term subscription. In addition there are simpler user interfaces that are available to allow more comfortable usage of the technology. This is especially helpful to some elderly people. Of course a period of educating this segment of society to the possibilities is necessary before many of them begin to take advantage of the technology. Once that’s accomplished there will have to be training and support afforded to them.
Those that are disabled due to a stroke, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease,upper or lower limb surgery and other disabling illnesses or injuries will find much needed help in one of the newest physical rehabilitation solutions available. The TUTOR system consisting of the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR,LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are part of physical rehabilitation solutions that are now available. Relatively inexpensive the TUTOR system allows for intensive exercises through the use of dedicated and customized software. The HANDTUTOR which is an ergonomic glove and the LEGTUTOR and ARMTUTOR which are braces detect finger, wrist, leg, ankle and hip movements. This information is recorded and allows the therapist to fully customize the treatment session. The exercises thus provide augmented feedback which then leads to enhanced functional rehabilitation. These physical rehabilitation products are in use in leading U.S. and European hospitals and clinics. The TUTOR system can also be used by the patient from his own home through the use of telerehabiliation. See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.

Young Women’s Chances of Suffering a Stroke

Did you know that more women die of stroke than from Aids or breast cancer combined? Stroke is the second leading cause of women’s death in the entire world. The misconception is that the public thinks that stroke is an old lady’s affliction. Many young women and especially those on birth control pills or going through pregnancy suffer strokes.
Unfortunately emergency rooms are too slow in diagnosing stroke in women preferring rather to check for drug intake or bacteria before discovering the real reason for weakness in an arm or leg. Once a CT scan is administered and they see the truth the doctors then question the women about their use of birth control pills and smoking.
It may be true that women are atypical in their symptoms and therefore it may be more difficult to diagnose them than men. Dr. Steven J. Kittner, director of the Maryland Stroke Center and Goddess Fund Medical Advisory Board member, has done extensive work with young women and stroke. Young women are not thought of as being a high risk for stroke. The Goddess Fund is dedicated to the education of health care professionals and also disseminates information needed for stroke prevention and treatment.
Another problem is that some stroke organizations don’t sufficiently explain the risks of birth control pills as a potential cause of stroke. Smoking and taking birth control pills is especially dangerous. The combination increases the risk of stroke 22% more than the average person. Some doctors, though, have stopped prescribing certain birth control pills to those that smoke.
According to WHO, the Women’s Health Organization, those that use ”the pill” are 3 times more likely to suffer an ischemic stroke than non users. WHO also found that oral contraceptive users over the age of 35 had a greater risk of getting a hemorrhagic stroke compared to non users.
Most frustrating is the slow and difficult process of rehabilitation. Exercises to improve fine muscle coordination and other skills are arduous. Luckily there are modern physical therapy products and solutions that can greatly improve movement ability for stroke victims young or old. One such set of tools is the TUTOR system. The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation for stroke victims as well as for those recovering from brain and spinal injuries,Parkinson’s, MS, CP and other limb disabling 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 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 objective. In this way the patient is given feedback that allows him to understand which effort is more successful. The TUTOR system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allows for repetitive and intensive exercise practice. The TUTOR system is now part of the rehabilitation solution of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Neighborhood Effect on Stroke Patient Recovery

According to Cari Jo Clark, Sc.D., assistant professor, medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and Scott C. Brown, Ph.D., research assistant professor, epidemiology and public health, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine writing in the journal Stroke on April 14, 2011, seniors that live in neighborhoods where they have a lot of neighborly interaction stand a much better chance of surviving a stroke.
Each factor of cohesion with their neighbor (seeing, talking, calling on them for assistance etc.) increases the survival rate by 53 percent and may even prevent mortality. These factors show the importance of living in a positive and cohesive neighborhood according to Dr. Clark.
In the Chicago area study neighbors were asked about talking to people in the street, doing yard work, taking care of children and whether they watched out for each other, whether neighbors were known by name, how many friends they had and who they could call on for help. This is called ”cohesion”. Even after taking into account factors such as: socioeconomic status, high blood pressure, smoking, physical inactivity, diabetes and obesity the findings still remained significant.
Strangely and without explanation the positive effects of the study were found for whites and not blacks. Further research is needed to determine why this cohesiveness is not shared equally by the different race groups. Dr. Brown believes that shared values might promote healthy behaviors between neighbors. There might be other factors that come into play such as health care access or crime.
Access to the best rehabilitation systems may alleviate physical problems resulting from the stroke. Such systems include the TUTORs. Known as the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR, they have been designed to optimize motor, sensory and cognitive performance for stroke patients and thereby improve their quality of life. 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 homes. The system is also used for physical rehabilitation after TBI, SCI, CP and effects of Parkinson’s disease, upper and lower limb surgeries and other issues of physical disability. Home care patients can be supported by the occupational and physical therapist offering tele-rehabilitation. The TUTORs are FDA and CE certified. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM

The Benefits of Exercise for Parkinson’s Patients

Most people have the attitude that when tragedy or illness strikes then all kinds of treatments begin but smarter ones know that certain preventative routines should exist all the time so that when the disease or disabling event occurs recovery can come quicker. Such is the reasoning behind intensive exercising as it relates to Parkinson’s disease, for example. Exercise can play an important part in treatment for someone that suffers from this debilitating disease. It can help slow the progression according to some experts as well as patients who exercised for some time as a regular life routine.
Exercise, together with medication, remains one of the primary treatments for the management of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system, according to experts.
According to Matt Brodsky, assistant professor of neurology at Portland’s Oregon Health & Science University. “There is evidence in clinical studies that regular aerobic activity triggers activity in the brain that seems to be protective”.
So it is important to continue an exercise routine even after such a diagnosis. Exercise can help develop strength, flexibility, balance, gait, communication and fine-motor skills.
People with good cardiovascular health who have the disease score better on cognitive and muscle tests and tend to live longer, according to researchers at Harvard University.
When Parkinson’s disables limbs in the upper or lower extremities much improvement has been accomplished using the TUTOR system. The HAND TUTOR and the LEGTUTOR are designed to afford the Parkinson’s patient intensive exercise so as to assist the patient in recovering hand or leg mobility.
The TUTOR system consists of ergonomic wearable devices (HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) 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 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 further information.

Be Aware of Stroke Symptoms for Women

Women suffer strokes at a rate that sometimes exceeds that of men. They should be aware of unique symptoms such as:

sudden face and limb pain
sudden hiccups
sudden nausea
sudden general weakness
sudden chest pain
sudden shortness of breath
sudden palpitations
If any of these occur emergency services should be contacted immediately. There is only a limited amount of time (a 3 hour window of opportunity after the first signs) to get proper medical care There is a special clot reducing medication that can reduce long term disability if administered on time.
Use the F.A.S.T. method.
F—FACE: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A—ARMS: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S—SPEECH: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?
T—TIME: If you observe any of these signs, call 9-1-1 or emergency services immediately.
When the patient has recovered sufficiently from the initial effects of the stroke and now needs to undertake physical rehabilitation solutions
to repair any residual disability of a limb one of the newest medical tools available is the TUTOR system. Consisting of the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR these devices improve fine motor, sensory and cognitive impairments through intensive active exercises with augmented feedback.
Now in use in leading U.S. and European hospitals the TUTOR system is certified by the FDA and CE. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Traumatic Brain Injury and the Child

Children even from the age of 5 are not immune to a traumatic brain injury. With their many activities, often unsupervised, they can fall, become injured in a sports activity or be a passenger in a car that crashes. Fortunately, today the medical care for brain injury is much improved from what it was 10 or 20 years ago. The effectiveness of the therapy will be the care received from the proffessionals and the support received from the family and community. Studies show that socially disadvantaged children with TBI had an outcome more adverse than those coming from a more adjusted community. Conversely there are findings that suggest that pediatric TBI has long-term effects on behavior and achievement but that post injury progress is influenced by the family environment. When it comes to residual physical disability the level of rehabilitation that the child receives plays an important role in a return to normalcy and a reduction of adverse socialization by the child’s peers.
Having the availability of modern rehabilitation tools such as the HANDTUTOR and LEGTUTOR can allow the child to rehabilitate at a faster pace than previous generations. The TUTOR system consists of a glove for the hand and a brace for the leg that are connected to dedicated software and afford the patient to exercise an affected limb. The TUTOR devices (which include an ARMTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) aim to optimize sensory and cognitive performance and thereby to better perform everyday functional tasks and improve quality of life. The powerful evaluation software gives the therapist objective and qualitative information on the patient’s functional impairment. Treatment sessions are thereby customized to the patient’s abilities.
Currently in use in leading hospitals and clinics in the U.S. and Europe the TUTOR system can also be used at home through telerehabilitation.
Certified by the FDA and CE more information is available by accessing WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM

Stroke Rehabilitation Can be Effective Months and Years After the Event

As reported by LENNY BERNSTEIN of THE WASHINGTON POST on March 22, 2012
It was March 15, 2010 the day before Brott’s 45th birthday when she suffered a stroke that affected the entire left side of her body. Even though they still comprise a tiny proportion of all stroke victims, nearly 2 per cent of women aged 35 to 54 suffer a stroke according to the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. That is up half of 1 percent since a decade earlier. The stroke rate for women in this age group has tripled, but the rate for men has remained the same.
It is unknown why so many relatively young women are having strokes, but obesity is the prime suspect. According to USC neurologist Amytis Towfighi statistics showed that the proportion of women with abdominal obesity had risen from 47 percent to 59 per cent in a decade.
Researchers have learned that exercise can help younger stroke victims such as Brott regain function, even years after they are stricken. A well known 2011 study supports the therapeutic approach like the one Brott stumbled upon when she returned to the gym.
”The secret to recovery in stroke is to continue working on your balance, continue working on your upper extremities, continue working on your lower extremities,” said Pamela W. Duncan, a neurology professor at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., and co-leader of the Locomotor Experience Applied Post-Stroke (LEAPS) research project.
The LEAPS researchers had originally set out to determine whether supporting stroke victims in harnesses to help them walk on treadmills would improve mobility more effectively than structured physical therapy at home, assisted by a therapist.
But after testing 408 stroke survivors Duncan unexpectedly discovered that the harness and treadmill produced approximately identical results as the structured at-home therapy. Even more interesting was another finding: A group of patients whose therapy was delayed for the purpose of comparison also showed improvement when their therapy began.
“No matter when you start an intense, progressive program, it works,” said Katherine J. Sullivan, a neuroscientist and an associate professor of physical therapy at the University of Southern California.
This is good news for stroke survivors, because delays in rehabilitation are inevitable for those who must be stabilized medically before they can even attempt minimal exercise.
“Rehabilitation can have some impact even months to years after a stroke,” said Ralph Sacco, past president of the American Heart/ Stroke Association. “The brain can recover and relearn. Physical activity can open up new pathways.”
The 795,000 strokes that Americans suffer annually vary widely in severity and location in the brain, with effects that range from death to little or no impairment. Stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States; women tend to survive more often than men but are more likely to be disabled, according to Towfighi.
The HANDTUTOR and LEGTUTOR systems are recently introduced medical devices that assist stroke patients in regaining proper balance and to bring upper and lower extremities back to normal activity.
The system, including the ARMTUTOR and 3DTUTOR, provides detailed exercise performance instructions and precise feedback on the patient’s efforts. 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 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 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 also used for patients suffering from Parkinson’s, MS, CP and a variety of disabling ailments. Telerehabilitation allows the recovering patient to continue his physical therapy at home after he is stabilizd.
The TUTORs are certified by the FDA and CE. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.
The system is used by many leading rehabilitation centers worldwide and has full FDA and CE certification. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Brain Injury Awareness Month and the Tutor System

Just released on March 21, 2012 in relation to Brain Injury Awareness Day a clinical trial reached an important enrollment milestone for TBI.
There have been more than 75 clinical trials in the past 20 years to find an effective treatment for TBI according to the President of BHR Pharma. He announced that they were closer to potentially having the first drug treatment for severe TBI ever approved.
Four hundred patients were used for this new trial.
The theme of this year’s Brain Injury Awareness Month is “Anytime, Anywhere, Anyone – Brain Injuries Do Not Discriminate.” Unfortunately each year, an estimated 1.7 million people sustain a TBI and it contributes to a third of all injury-related deaths in the U.S. TBI is a global problem and can affect anyone.
Aside from happening to athletes and military veterans, it can also happen even as a result of a skateboarding accident. Participating in the clinical trial gave hope to the participants during a most difficult time when they felt they had no options.
Previous clinical trials suggest that progesterone can improve outcomes for TBI victims. The therapy must be started within eight hours of sustaining a TBI. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug status to BHR-100 and has placed the drug on a Fast Track Development Program designed to accelerate its potential approval.
When the TBI patient recovers sufficiently to begin rehabilitation therapy for affected limbs and joints the TUTOR system can come into play.
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 the 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 legs and hip issues. The system is indicated for patients who have suffered TBI or 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 prepare an 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 FDA and CE. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Land and Water for Post Knee Replacement Therapy

No doubt that obesity, physically demanding work and traumatic knee injury are major risk factors for knee osteoarthritis. Undoubtedly, rehabilitation of knee-replacement patients is a science in and of itself. As such, it requires serious consideration about how best to address one basic need: Getting the individual to function normally as soon as possible.
ONE of the methods used in rehabilitation is aquatic therapy. It allows patients to use the healing properties of water in an effort to reduce pain, increase range of motion, improve strength, control edema and promote improved functional activity, tolerance and endurance.
It has been found that rehabbing and exercising in a pool environment (as a SUPPLEMENT to a land-based program) is more beneficial for those recovering from knee replacements than exercising on land alone.
Water buoyancy assists in supporting the weight of the patient. Therefore, even if a patient is overweight or obese, joint stress is minimized, as is the risk of falling. Following surgery, patients regularly experience difficulty with their balance as well as control of the surgical limb.
The pool provides a challenging environment in which the physical therapist can work on balance, proprioceptive control and safety. This can translate to a reduced risk of falls and improved patient safety. It also equates to patients improving their mobility, strength and function rapidly throughout their rehabilitation.
It is also known that knee osteoarthritis can place a great strain on a person, possibly leading to depression and poor self-esteem. The positive physiological benefits of therapy actually spill over into the psyche of patients which can decrease their anxiety levels and improve their body image.
Therapy, in general, gives people hope of a full recovery. A patient once said,”Land therapy was beneficial; however, the aqua therapy helped warm up my joints and muscles to prepare me for land therapy.
The other therapeutic method that has shown much help to knee replacement patients is the TUTOR system. It has been designed to get the patient to function normally as soon as possible. It can reduce pain, increase range of motion, improve strength, balance and control of the limb. Once that happens there can be less risk of falling and a feeling of more security.
The LEGTUTOR with its sister devices (HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) 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 exercise practice in the form of challenging games. They are suitable for a wide variety of other neurological and orthopedic injuries and diseases as well as post trauma and orthopedic surgery. The TUTOR system is used by many leading rehabilitation centers worldwide and has full FDA and CE certification. It is designed for children and adults and can be used at home supported by telerehabilitation.
See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

Rodeo Riders–Prime Benefactors of Physical Therapy Rehabilitation

Steven Turner, Joao Henrique, Adam Jamison–not exactly everyday names that you would be familiar with. But if you’re into the world of Rodeo you would know them as some of the world’s best and most successful rodeo riders.
Rodeo riders alone can keep physical and occupational therapists busy most of the time. These are people who are most likely to be in need of the latest physiotherapy methods available. When they fall off the horse
they are likely to incur a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, a broken neck or at least broken limbs.
A recently innovated and efficient set of medical devices to assist the patient in recovering movement ability lost due to one of the disabilities listed above is the TUTOR system.
Consisting of the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR the system has shown much success in rehabilitation of joint movement as well. The 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 as well. 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 especially 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 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 FDA and CE. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.

The Option of Exercise for the Cancer Patient

According to studies conducted Cancer patients may benefit from physical exercise both during and after treatment even though the specific beneficial effects of physical exercise may vary as a function of the stage of disease, the nature of the medical treatment, and the current lifestyle of the patient.
Many, if not most, cancer patients are interested in prolonging their life and not ”giving up”. Getting involved in an exercise program suitable to their medical status can be one of the best options for living an active life and returning to normal activities.
As an example breast cancer patients can make use of devices like the ARMTUTOR which allows for reaching out and
performing controlled and repetitive exercise rehabilitation practice. It does this through the use of various games which are at a patient-customized level with real time accurate feedback on the patient’s performance. The rehabilitation games are also suitable for a wide variety of neurological and orthopedic injuries and diseases.
The games challenge the patient to perform the exercise at a customized difficulty level. This level is set by the OT or PT and encourages the patient to do intensive repetitive exercise practice.
The ARMTUTOR allows for isolated and a combination of elbow and three directional shoulder treatments. The system provides detailed exercise 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 or compensatory joint movement pattern.
The ARMTUTOR and its sister devices (LEGTUTOR, HANDTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) can be used to exercise lower limb surgeries and cancer related disabilities. The TUTORs are used wordwide in leading hospitals and clinics. They can be used at home through telerehabilitation See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.