Newswise — An innovative, in-home device invented at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) to help stroke survivors recover the use of an arm will hit the market in early February.
Through a licensing partnership with UMB, Encore Path Inc. of Baltimore has refined the invention into a compact, retractable, and portable device called Tailwind. The company plans to launch sales at the Feb. 9-13 meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) in Las Vegas.
In a small clinical study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine published in 2004, in six weeks stroke survivors improved their ability to use and control their arm muscles after using the device three times a week, and tests revealed new brain activity in response to the therapy. The therapy and device were co-invented by the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Jill Whitall, PhD, a professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science (PTRS), and Sandra McCombe-Waller, PT, PhD, MED, an assistant professor in the same department.
Whitall says, "The emphasis is on using both sides of the brain when exercising the arm, with a potential of rewiring the brain's motor control circuitry to assist the movement of the paretic arm."
McCombe-Waller adds, "In addition to use at home, the Tailwind device can be used in many different ways under the direction of physical and occupational therapists to improve motor function and motor control."
Kris Appel, founder and president of Encore Path, learned of the UMB technology in 2006 when she was a student in the ACTiVATE program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The program trains women to become entrepreneurs and to create start-up companies with inventions from Maryland research institutions and federal agencies.
After licensing the device in 2007, Appel engaged firm Sagentia Inc., an international technology and product development company with headquarters in Fulton, Md., to help redesign the University invention into the current Tailwind model. (For more on Sagentia: http://www.sagentia.com/ )
Currently McCombe-Waller is testing a prototype of the Tailwind model with patients at the PTRS clinic at the University. Both researchers plan to use the Tailwind in upcoming studies.
When stroke survivor Norris Turner of Columbia, Md., began using the Tailwind several months ago, under McCombe-Waller's care, he had limited functional use of his right arm. He can now straighten his paretic arm and use it to hold a golf club with two hands and drive about 100 yards. He can also now play catch with his grandchildren, and he uses his right arm in a stabilizing manner to cut his own fruit and meat. "I'm glad I can shake hands with my right hand again," says Turner, who added that before the therapy he could not lift both arms above his head, and now he can fairly easily.
The device works by bilateral training, as the seated patient uses both arms to push and pull handles on separate, or unyoked, tracks with minimal resistance. The incline of the tracks can be adjusted. It also includes a stabilizing brace for the chest and a metronome for an audible metronome steady tempo to help the patient exercise rhythmically.
Whitall and McCombe-Waller came up with the idea for the arm therapy based on motor control and motor learning principles as well as McCombe-Waller's clinical experience with patients. They had previously studied gait therapy but thought there was a greater need for a new kind of therapy of the affected arm, particularly for those who were more severely affected by the stroke. Their invention can mimic natural human physical functions of the upper extremities in a variety of positions, say the researchers.
"There are really not a lot of therapy options for arm rehabilitation. Today's stroke survivors are used to being active and they want to rehabilitate," says EncorePath's Appel. "I have talked with hundreds of stroke patients who are very excited about this."
(For more on EncorePath: http://www.encorepath.com/)
Whitall and McCombe-Waller will present new scientific papers at the APTA meeting in Las Vegas.
Whitall says, "I'm really glad that individuals can now have a chance to use this at home" and that more such techniques are needed for home use. McCombe-Waller adds that the device is also ideal for physical therapy clinics. "It can augment motor control training in many ways," she says.
Their invention was originally called Bilateral Arm Trainer with Rhythmic Auditory Cueing (BATRAC) device.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore is home to the Dental School, Graduate School, and schools of law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, and social work. It is the founding campus of the University System of Maryland.
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