Stroke is known as the silent killer, killing someone in America every four minutes. It is the most common cause of death, second only to heart disease. “Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States (Survey of Income and Program Participation [SIPP], a survey of the US Bureau of the Census).” 2 Following cerebrovascular accident, one of the main impairments is reduced muscle strength. 1 This is one of the primary reasons for activity limitations related to mobility in stroke victims, and has been shown in several studies to greatly affect the measures of walking gait performance. “Walking is among the most important domains of the activities and participation components in International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) core set for stroke.” 2 Therefore, walking should be a main function of stroke rehabilitation in order to optimize the recovery of muscle function and to regain ambulatory ability. However, due to tremendous lack of mobility combined with a sedentary lifestyle, this is generally not a simple task and may require some specialized methods of rehabilitation.
The Biodex is an assistive treadmill with the capability to un-weigh individuals with a support harness and assesses their gait and stride length automatically. It will also support up 40% of the individuals total body weight reducing the load on the body, especially lower extremities, during ambulation. The Gait Trainer feature of the Biodex provides visual and auditory feedback on an instrumented deck in real time to prompt the individual into a correct gait pattern. Step length, step speed and right-to-left time placement are crucial aspects; patient footfall is compared to desired footfall step after step, both on the display in real time and documented on a histogram.
One of the many benefits that the Biodex system provides for individuals recovering from stroke, is the ability to extract and retain nominal data on the ability to walk functionally and the amount of stress placed on each side of the body.
During assessment the gait trainer records movement and will provide verbal instruction on how to correct gait distance and foot placement. With absolutely no fear of falling due to harness suspension, individuals are able to build extreme confidence and control by walking with a normal stride and arm-swing pattern. For many individuals following post-stroke sequelae, walking patterns are not nearly as natural or balanced as they were pre-stroke. The data retained from the Gait Trainer allows individuals to understand the severity of the limitations produced by stroke as well as program exercise and set rational personal goals that can be assessed and tested.
The Biodex-Weight Support Treadmill and Unweighing system broadens the ability of training and rehabilitation for stroke survivors through enhanced self awareness and self-confidence.
1 Flansbjer, U., Downham, D., & Lexell, J. (2006). Knee Muscle Strength, Gait Performance, and
Perceived Participation After Stroke. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 87(7), 974-980. Retrieved September 13, 2014. http://www.archives-pmr.org/article/S0003-9993(06)00286-3/fulltext
2 Jones, D. (2010, January 1). Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2010 Update A Report From the
American Heart Association. Retrieved September 13, 2014, from
3 Wilcox, D., Boyd, K., Feeley, J., Packel, A., & Rosenberg, E. (2012, January 1). A Clinical Guideline
for the Treatment of Patients with Neurological Conditions using Biodex Unweighing System and Gait Trainer. Retrieved September 14, 2014, from http://www.biodex.com/sites/default/files/documents/clinical_guideline_neuro_conditions_14225.pdf
What is a movement plane or pattern that is difficult to train, and has yet to have had a device invented to help with said movement pattern or plane? Figure this out, and you could make a little money, Issac...
ReplyDeleteThe Biodex seems to have a lot of benefits for people who have issue walking. I can see how the unweighing system is beneficial. Once someone learns to trust they cannot fall then they can focus strictly on their gait patterns which is easy to do with all the visual feedback.
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