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After an injury resulting in loss of mobility, one of the toughest obstacles to overcome during recovery can be a lack of confidence in one’s own body. Being worried how their body will respond to the demands of a treatment plan can keep patients from pushing themselves in ways that lead to big gains and, ultimately, optimal results.

Ironically, it is physical therapy itself that eventually restores confidence – confidence in your body’s ability to perform, and confidence that one’s stamina will increase to accomplish their goals.

Body Weight & Balance Technology

At Garnet Health Medical Center, we have invested in the latest assistive technology to help patients regain confidence by removing worry about falls. Our latest addition to the rehabilitation program is a dynamic body-weight support that makes rehabilitation tasks easier to perform.

Designed to help patients maintain balance and relieve weight on taxed limbs and muscles, the system helps them get over their worry and focus on the task at hand – safely improving balance, gait and functional independence.

The system is suitable for use with patients recovering, including:

  • Stroke
  • Balance disorders
  • Orthopedic injuries
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Incomplete spinal cord injury
  • Amputation
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Neurological injuries
  • Cardiac patients in early recovery

As well as many other conditions.

In short, therapy progresses faster and rehabilitation occurs faster with confidence!

The advanced robotic system at Garnet Health Medical Center moves along a ceiling-mounted track while supporting a portion of a patient’s weight, and monitors their activity. Advanced fall protection prevents injury by catching individuals if they begin to lose balance.

This is leading edge technology for people who may be experiencing weakness and poor coordination, which allows them to safely engage in real-world activities like walking, balancing, climbing stairs and more.

So, how does it work?

A therapist secures the patient comfortably into the harness, which attaches to the ceiling-mounted track and robot. As therapy progresses, the amount of support can be tailored on the fly according to a patient’s ability. Support can be increased to alleviate weight, or decreased to challenge the patient, all at the touch of a button. Because the monitoring system rides along a track above the action, patients have the freedom to work out without interference.

Interactive balance training and games with visual feedback are engaging and give the therapy a unique feeling of fun. With confidence restored, focus can be maintained on improving functional independence.

Without the fear of falling, patients are more confident to walk again, relearn how to anticipate a loss of balance, get up from a chair or the floor, use the stairs, step over obstacles, reach for items and use assistive devices like canes, walkers and crutches.

And, all that great progress is monitored and cataloged.

Important information from each rehabilitation session is captured in a secure database, including the number of falls prevented, distanced walked, balance training results and more. This is all stored and used to monitor progress and create activity training reports.

Garnet Health Medical Center is proud to offer this assistive technology to our patients as part of our rehabilitation services. By allowing intensive therapy to begin earlier after injury than unassisted methods, this new system can help our therapists safely achieve better outcomes.

“This apparatus allows us to provide a safe and functional means to simulate daily living activities for patients with balance and mobility issues,” said Garnet Health Medical Center’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Therapy Director Ann McEnroe-O’Connor. “When we are able to take away the weight of worry, we are able to help our patients return to optimal mobility and well-being.”

Learn more about Garnet Health Medical Center’s gait and balance assistive technology –

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