New electronic device uses sensors, impulses to help patients regain function
Published: 2010-07-18 17:30:19By: Hillary Copsey | TCPalm | April 9, 2010
STUART — An electronic cuff is shocking some Treasure Coast patients into more natural mobility.
Physical therapists are using the NESS L300 foot drop system to treat patients like Michael Jackson, who has struggled to regain a normal walking gait since suffering a series of strokes over four days in April 2008.
Foot drop, in which weakness or paralysis prevents a person from lifting the front part of the foot, can affect people with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis or spinal injuries, as well as stroke patients.
Jackson, 50, began using the NESS system two months ago. A wireless cuff worn just below his knee sends electrical impulses to the muscles, telling them to lift his foot, whenever a sensor on his heel detects that weight has shifted.
Without the cuff, Jackson said even tiny slopes could make him feel as if he would topple over at any second.
“With this, it feels much safer,” said Jackson, who lives in Japan but is receiving treatment at Martin Memorial’s Raub Rehabilitation Center while staying at his parents’ Stuart home. “This is a chance to be more, to have more movement.”
The electric impulses don’t hurt, Jackson said. They feel a bit like pinpricks. He can wear the device for as long as 10 hours, and it helps him climb stairs and negotiate hills.
Insurance often won’t cover the cost of the NESS system for stroke patients. But many therapists are buying the NESS system for patients to use during rehabilitation, even if they can’t afford one of their own, physical therapist Christy Jackson said.