High-Tech Rehab is Mechanical Medical Marvel
Published Oct 17, 2007
HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital has been open since 1985.
It is similar to a device used by actor Christopher Reeve after suffering his spinal cord injury.
HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Florence, which has been providing physical therapy to patients since 1985, has introduced an auto ambulator to its growing list of high-tech equipment. The Food and Drug Administration approved the device in 2006, and HealthSouth is one of the few hospitals in the United States already using it.
“The auto ambulator helps patients who have difficulty walking – primarily patients who have suffered spinal cord injuries, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or work-related injuries,” says Miriam Bunch, HealthSouth director of marketing and operations.
“We are also testing it on amputees. It is mostly for the neurological population.”
The device is a sophisticated treadmill that helps simulate a patient’s normal walking patterns.
“The patient is fitted into a comfortable harness and then lowered onto the treadmill, with their feet lightly touching it,” Bunch says. “Robotic legs are then strapped to the patient’s legs and are synchronized to allow the patient to walk safely using their normal gait motion.”
Bunch says the ambulation program has been successful because it allows patients to contribute to their own movement, while the robotic legs provide the force to generate the movement.
“Christopher Reeve used something similar to this, but not as advanced,” she says.
Another advantage of this mechanical medical marvel is that physical therapists don’t have to hoist patients into position or hold them while they are attempting to walk.
“The auto ambulator provides complete freedom of movement for a patient,” Bunch says. “It is a huge advancement in the field of neurological therapy.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
Photo by Brian McCord
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