News : Product Review
Product Review- Sara Steady by Arjo Huntley
As physiotherapists we often encounter clients who can stand with some help, but cannot safely pivot or step to move from one location to another, such as from bed to wheelchair or bed to commode. Products like the Sara Stedy may be an option to improve safety, accessibility and reduce the level of assistance required, especially following a stroke.
Categories: Product Review
Tilt Table Product Review
A tilt table is a special plinth, or padded table, which is able to tilt and passively bring someone to an upright posture. To stand using a tilt table the patient starts lying down on the table and is then strapped down firmly with straps, usually 3 – at the chest, pelvis and just above the knees, and the feet positioned on a foot plate.. An electric motor then tilts the table anywhere from the flat position through to standing (most models tilt to around 80-85 degrees, just off full vertical), depending on what the patient is able to tolerate. Standing in this manner is completely passive, meaning the patient does not need to produce any effort or muscular activity to remain in this position. Active exercises can play a part in using a tilt table, which can be set up to work leg muscles along with trunk, arm and breathing exercises. Tilt tables are most often used in acute, hospital based care and rehabilitation, but are less commonly used in the community. Reasons for this include cost, space, practicality of use, time issues and real life benefits. However, for some clients regular use of a tilt table can be an important part of their daily routine.
Categories: Physiotherapy, Product Review, Spinal Cord Injury
Standing after Spinal Cord Injury
People with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) have used different forms of passive and active standing for several decades now, however the evidence supporting what the benefits are have been unclear in the past. There are many different ways to achieve standing as a SCI depending on your level of ability.
Categories: Product Review, Spinal Cord Injury
Stroke Rehab for Arm and Hand- SaeboFlex
The SaeboFlex© is a dynamic hand splint that can assist certain individuals following stroke and other neurological problems to regain functional use of their affected hand.
Categories: Physiotherapy, Product Review, Stroke recovery
Pablo for upper limb therapy in hemiplegia
The team at Advance Rehab Centre are all very excited to introduce our new rehabilitation “toy” for hand and arm training, the “Pablo”. We’ve had a Wii system for some time, and use it regularly for upper limb therapy, but often find it doesn’t quite accommodate some of our clients who might not have full movement or have significant weakness. The Wii games can often be too challenging or impossible to play and logistically, it can be difficult to set the Wii up for progressive or independent play. So, we went in search for something more specific to the needs of the neurological population that we treat. That is how we found the Pablo!
Categories: Physiotherapy, Product Review, Stroke recovery
Custom equipment for people with disabilities
TAD Disability Services is the only charity in NSW which designs and builds personalised custom equipment to enable people with disabilities to lead more independent lives.
Categories: Product Review
WalkAid for foot drop in MS
Foot drop can be a common problem in many neurological conditions including Multiple Sclerosis. Damage to the myelin coating of the long nerves that carry messages to and from the brain to the foot can be affected in MS. This can lead to impaired muscle activation which leads to loss of strength, stability and coordination, and sometimes sensation. Symptoms of foot drop may be foot dragging, tripping, scuffing the toes, having difficulty walking on uneven ground such as grass and falls. Walking can become both unsafe and inefficient with foot drop.
Categories: Product Review
Product Review: Tailwind for training weak arms after stroke.
Chronic arm weakness and hemiparesis is a leading cause of functional disability after stroke. It can limit the ability to dress, shower, groom and eat independently. At the clinic, we have been investigating ways to increase the amount of upper limb therapy people are doing by providing independent training programs at home. We came across the Tailwind, and have been trialling it at the clinic for the past two weeks.
Categories: Product Review
Flexy foot improves walking sticks and crutches
Flexyfoot is an innovative and award-winning new product that revolutionises the humble walking stick and takes crutches to a whole new level. Using patented air sprung technology, flexyfoot is great for all terrain, gentle on the joints and really popular in the centre.
Categories: Product Review
New exercises for arm and hand after stroke
Approximately two thirds of stroke survivors continue to experience difficulty moving their arm resulting in diminished quality of life, dependence and possibly pain. Conventional rehabilitation can provide modest improvements but physiotherapists are looking at new ways to improve the outcomes of therapy. Virtual reality (VR) technology is becoming more and more common as adjunctive therapy in neuro-rehabilitation. VR and video game applications like Wii and Pablo® are novel and potentially useful technologies that can be combined with conventional rehabilitation for upper arm improvement after stroke.
Categories: Home based rehabilitation, Product Review, Stroke recovery
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