How Advanced Rehabilitation Technology helps Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Patients
After a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) devasting long-term dysfunctions may occur. Physical, emotional and financial hardships may follow. Patients are often overwhelmed by the new life situation.
Advanced Rehabilitation Technology-based devices provide patients new hope during recovery. High intensity, large numbers of repetition and a game-based approach change occupational and physical therapy settings as we know it today rapidly.
Robotics, sensors, virtual reality, and gamification allow a patient’s attention to divert away from the stress and anxiety of their health problems.
Adjustable devices offer real-time feedback to the therapist and the patient. Data from each device can be analyzed to determine when to increase the difficulty of the exercises and to challenge patients to reach higher goals.
Read on to learn more about how advanced rehabilitation devices can help SCI or TBI patients.
Benefits to Patients with Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injury is the second leading cause of paralysis in the United States. Spinal cord damage can cause a sudden loss of motor function, range of motion, sensation, and strength. Depending on the location and the severity of the damage, the patient can experience mild to moderate limitations in the legs, arms or the whole body. The damage can occur due to an accident or an illness.
While researchers hope to fully repair damaged spinal cords in the future, they haven’t yet developed that ability. In the meantime, physical and occupational therapy can help improve the lives of people affected.
There is evidence showing that activity-based-therapy can improve independence and functional ability for people with SCI. The patient may be able to relearn specific movements and regain skills to help them with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as eating and dressing.
Advanced rehabilitation devices use motor-learning-principles which can help patients to re-establish daily activities. By leveraging the brain and spinal cord’s neuroplasticity, patients can establish new neuropathways and acquire new motor skills.
Benefits to Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability. Each year an estimated 1.5 million Americans sustain a TBI.
TBIs can occur in many ways, including car crashes, accidental falls, violence, or assault. Regardless of how the injury occurs, patients who experience a TBI often struggle with motor, cognitive and emotional problems. Some of them last months, some years or some may last a lifetime. Statistic shows that approximately five millions TBI survivors sustain long-term neurological deficits.
Advanced rehabilitation technology can support patients in many ways during their recovery. Virtual Reality provides promising results, offering patients an highly emotionally engaging experience.
Assessing and Building Life Skills after Spinal Cord Injury or TBI
Technology-based therapeutic devices can be used to assess and help reduce:
- Deficits in vestibular function and balance
- Impairments of executive dysfunction and memory
- Abnormalities in cognition and attention issues
- Difficulties with motor skills needed to live independently
Advanced rehabilitation technology can inspire patients with spinal cord and traumatic brain injury to persevere. From gait and balance therapy to upper and lower extremity exercises, technology-based devices push the limits of what is possible.
Sources:
Virtual Reality Neurorehabilitation for Mobility in Spinal Cord Injury: A Structured Review (2019)
Report to Congress: Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States (1999)
Virtual Reality for Traumatic Brain Injury (2018)
Virtual Reality Neurorehabilitation for Mobility in Spinal Cord Injury: A Structured Review (2019)
