http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/good-shepherd-rehabilitation-network-will-be-first-in-north-america-to-have-ekso-with-variable-assist-for-stroke-patients-215558211.html
Ekso's Advancement Allows Stroke Patients To Relearn Proper Gait Patterns and Weight Shifts
ALLENTOWN, Pa., July 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network (www.GoodShepherdRehab.org), an Allentown, Pennsylvania-based innovator in the rehabilitation of physical and cognitive disabilities, will soon be the first health-care organization in North America to receive new Variable Assist software for the Ekso bionic exoskeleton.
The Ekso is a wearable, bionic suit, created and produced by Ekso Bionics (www.eksobionics.com),
which enables individuals with lower extremity paralysis or weakness to
stand and walk. Battery powered motors drive the legs and replace
neuro-muscular function. The addition of Variable Assist now provides
the ability for Good Shepherd's clinicians to augment their patients'
strength by tuning the amount of power contributed to help walking
efforts for either leg. Variable Assist adds to the Ekso's utility for
patients with hemiparesis due to stroke, incomplete spinal cord injury
or other neurological injuries or conditions.
Since
2012, Good Shepherd has used the Ekso with spinal cord injury patients,
in its outpatient Neurorehabilitation Program. The new Variable Assist
software will arrive at Good Shepherd on July 30, 2013,
and will be an upgrade to Good Shepherd's current Ekso rehabilitation
technology. In late August, Good Shepherd will receive delivery of a
second Ekso bionic exoskeleton with Variable Assist for inpatient use at
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital.
Many
stroke patients experience hemiparesis, or partial paralysis, in a limb
or limbs. The new Variable Assist software will allow Good Shepherd's
stroke patients to recover more quickly and enhance their walking
capabilities. Good Shepherd's therapists now have the option to assign a
specific amount of power contribution (based on therapeutic goals) to
augment patients' efforts, or to allow the Ekso to dynamically adjust to
their needs in real time. For example, the clinician may assign a
higher power contribution to produce a more naturalized gait, or less
power contribution to challenge the patient's walking efforts. This
encourages patients to actively contribute to their recovery process and
helps the therapist challenge patients with progressive rehabilitation.
"Being
the first on the continent to have Ekso with Variable Assist shows Good
Shepherd's commitment to providing leading-edge rehabilitation care to
our patients," says Frank Hyland,
vice president, Rehabilitation, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network.
"Our therapists in our Neurorehabilitation Department have seen great
success with the Ekso for spinal cord patients, and now we are certain
that this technology will help our stroke patients regain function and
return to their lives."
Good Shepherd was the third rehabilitation organization in the United States
to receive the Ekso in spring of 2012. Since that time, more than 20
spinal cord injury patients have walked using the Ekso and have included
the bionic exoskeleton in their therapy regimen. The Ekso has provided
amazing progress for some of Good Shepherd's spinal cord injury
patients, who are now able to walk using their own power and leg braces
and crutches.
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network (www.GoodShepherdRehab.org): Based in Allentown, Pennsylvania,
Good Shepherd is a nationally recognized rehabilitation leader,
offering a continuum of care for people with physical and cognitive
disabilities and specializing in assistive and rehabilitation
technology. Good Shepherd utilizes one of the nation's largest cadre of
rehabilitation technologies to facilitate and guide motor function and
control.
Ekso Bionics (http://www.eksobionics.com): Headquartered in Richmond, California, Ekso also has offices in London, UK,
and is a pioneering the field of robotic exoskeletons to augment human
strength, endurance and mobility. Ekso is committed to applying the
latest technology and engineering to help people rethink current
physical limitations and achieve the remarkable.
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