Technological Devices and Specialized Therapies/Services
Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill
The Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill employs NASA-inspired technology to off-load as much as 80 percent of a user’s body weight. The device is FDA-approved for functional rehab and also serves as a training aid for athletes. During an AlterG session, the lower body is encased in a waist-high plastic chamber filled with load-lifting, pressurized air. Treadmill controls adjust the pressure, creating a low-impact, workout zone where users can walk or run forward, backward or at an incline.
Appropriate for: People recovering from joint or leg surgery, anyone too weak or unstable to walk unsupported or athletes rehabbing from injury or wishing to intensify their training and conditioning.
Available at: Methodist Rehabilitation Center Outpatient Therapy in Flowood and Ridgeland.
ArmeoPower
The ArmeoPower is specifically designed for arm and hand therapy in the early stage of rehabilitation. The robotic exoskeleton has an assist-as-needed arm support to allow even patients with severe movement impairments to repeat a high number of therapeutic exercises. And a virtual reality training program offers game-like activities to keep patients engaged. The system helps improve range of motion, strength and gross motor coordination. And by tracking speed, accuracy and even trace amounts of movement, it provides therapists a precise record of each patient’s progress.
Appropriate for: Stroke, brain and spinal cord injury patients.
Available at: Inpatient rehabilitation.
ArmeoSpring Therapy
ArmeoSpring Therapy pairs an assistive movement device with a virtual reality training program to help patients with arm paralysis or weakness. The system’s game-like activities keep patients engaged as they do high repetitions of therapeutic movements designed to improve their range of motion, strength and gross motor coordination. The system tracks speed, accuracy and even trace amounts of movement, providing therapists a precise record of each patient’s progress.
Appropriate for: People with arm paralysis or weakness related to stroke, spinal cord and brain injuries and other neurological disorders.
Available at: Inpatient rehabilitation
Bioness Hand Rehabilitation System
Bioness Hand Rehabilitation System uses low level electrical pulses to activate and re-train the muscles that move the hand and wrist. It’s designed to improve movement, range of motion and blood circulation and may also reduce muscle spasms and help prevent contractures and atrophy. Therapists at Methodist Rehab are specially trained to custom-fit the splint-like device, adjust the electrical stimulation and devise exercise regimens for users of the device.
Appropriate for: People who have trouble using their hands or arms due to stroke, traumatic brain injury, some types of spinal cord injury or other neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease.
Available at: Inpatient Rehabilitation, Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation and Quest.
Bioness L300, L300 Plus and L300 Go
Bioness L300, L300 Plus and L300 Go use low level electrical stimulation to help activate weakened nerves that control muscles in the lower and/or upper leg. Specially trained physical therapists custom-fit and program the wearable device to help patients overcome conditions such as foot drop and knee instability.
Appropriate for: People who experience leg paralysis or partial loss of movement related to stroke, multiple sclerosis or brain or spinal cord injury.
Available at: Inpatient Rehabilitation, Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation and Quest.
Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training
Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training allows patients to practice standing and walking before they can support their own weight. By using the system to off-load a precise portion of a patient’s body weight, therapists can reintroduce the repetitive motions of stepping, providing important sensory input. In addition to encouraging new neural pathways in the spinal cord, the therapy can help improve cardiovascular and pulmonary function, increase bone density and decrease spasticity.
Appropriate for: Stroke, brain and spinal cord injury patients
Available at: Inpatient Rehabilitation
Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy
Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy can help patients who have limited use of one arm regain function and reduce spasticity. The therapy has two components: restraining the use of the unaffected arm for the majority of the day and intensive exercise training with the affected arm.
Appropriate for: Stroke patients
Available at: Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation and Quest
Dynavision
Dynavision is used to evaluate and rehabilitate visual, neuro and physical skills and is often a part of driver retraining. Sessions on the unit can help improve ocular-motor skills such as localization, fixation, gaze shift, and tracking, peripheral visual awareness, visual attention and anticipation, eye-hand coordination and visual-motor reaction time. It can also help increase upper extremity active range of motion and coordination, muscular and physical endurance and improve motor planning.
Appropriate for: Stroke, brain injury, amputation and orthopedic patients.
Available at: Inpatient Rehabilitation, Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation and Quest.
ErigoPro
The ErigoPro is a robotic device that combines several important rehabilitation therapies in one—a tilt table, functional electrical stimulation and robotic leg movements. It allows therapists to put patients in standing positions sooner, while also providing muscle activation and cyclic leg loading. Benefits include improvements in cardiovascular health, blood flow, bowel/bladder function, range of motion and flexibility and a reduction in spasticity, muscle atrophy and postural hypotension (a type of low blood pressure related to standing up).
Appropriate for: Stroke, brain and spinal cord injury patients.
Available at: Inpatient rehabilitation.
FES (Functional Electric Stimulation) Cycles
FES (Functional Electric Stimulation) Cycles use electrical current to stimulate nerves and evoke muscle contractions that allow patients with paralysis or muscle weakness to “pedal” exercise bikes with their arms or legs. The therapy can help relax muscle spasms, slow or prevent atrophy, improve blood flow and maintain or increase range of motion.
Appropriate for: Patients with paralysis or muscle weakness due to stroke, brain or spinal injury or other neurological conditions.
Available at: Inpatient Rehabilitation and Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation
Guldmann Ceiling Lift System
The Guldmann Ceiling Lift System is Installed in every patient room and therapy gym at MRC, as well as at our outpatient clinics and Specialty Care Center. The main purpose of the lift system is for transferring patients with limited mobility, but the lift system has many practical applications in therapy as well. It can be used for gait training, assisted active exercises, ADL training, balance exercises and much more.
Appropriate for: all injury types with limited mobility.
Interactive Metronome (IM) Training
Interactive Metronome (IM) Training uses neuro-sensory and neuro-motor exercises to help encourage the brain’s ability to repair or remodel itself after injury. Users don headphones and synchronize hand or foot movements to a computer-generated tempo to help improve their attention, concentration, motor planning and sequencing skills. With the addition of a Gait Mate sensor placed in the shoe, users can also work on walking skills such as stride length, heel strike, gait stamina and weight shifting.
Appropriate for: Patients who have experienced stroke, brain injury or other neurological disorders.
Available at: Quest and Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation
Lee Silverman Voice Technique (LSVT) BIG and LOUD
Lee Silverman Voice Technique (LSVT) BIG and LOUD are therapies designed to help people with Parkinson’s overcome symptoms commonly associated with the neurological disease. BIG addresses impairments such as a shuffling gait, slow movement, loss of trunk rotation, postural changes and muscle rigidity, while LOUD combats speech and swallowing problems.
Appropriate for: Parkinson’s Disease patients
Available at: Methodist Rehabilitation Center Outpatient Services
LokomatPro FreeD
Even before they are able to support their own weight or move their legs independently, patients use the LokomatPro FreeD treadmill to practice walking. Therapists first fit users into a harness system that offers the option of partial weight support. Then, a robotic device is attached to the hips, knees and ankles of the patient to guide their legs in a proper stepping motion. The repetition of precise movements provides important sensory input, aids muscle memory and encourages new neural pathways, while an attached video game system offers encouragement and feedback. The therapy can help improve cardiovascular and pulmonary function, increase bone density and decrease spasticity.
Appropriate for: Stroke, brain and spinal cord injury patients.
Available at: Inpatient rehabilitation.
MOTOMed
MOTOMed is a motorized movement trainer that provides exercise for the arms and and/or legs. Patients pedal the device using their own strength or assisted by motors or functional electrical stimulation (FES). The therapy can help reduce muscle and joint stiffness, improve blood flow, prevent muscle shortening, build muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance, stimulate digestion and metabolism and detect and ease spasms.
Appropriate for: Patients with stroke, paralysis, cerebral palsy or Parkinson’s Disease.
Available at: Inpatient Rehabilitation
The Motion Analysis and Human Performance Lab
The Motion Analysis and Human Performance Lab is equipped with an eight-digital camera motion analysis system, two video cameras, five force plates in the floor, an electronic walkway and other high-tech features and allows Methodist scientists to objectively measure a patient’s motor performance. This data is then used to improve diagnoses and evaluate treatment.
Appropriate for: Patients who need a precise evaluation of their motor abilities.
Available at: Inpatient Rehabilitation
Myofascial Release
Myofascial Release is a type of therapeutic massage that focuses on fascia, a network of stretchy tissue that encases everything in the body like a protective web. Therapists specially trained in the technique use gentle sustained pressure to activate the release of the stiffened tissue and restore normal alignment.
Appropriate for: People who have pain or restricted movement related to scarring, spastic muscles or neurological conditions such as dystonia.
Available at: Methodist Rehabilitation Center Outpatient Therapy
Schroth Therapy for Scoliosis
Scroth Therapy is a nonsurgical, physical therapy-based treatment for scoliosis. It is based on exercises tailored to each patient's spine curvature.
Appropriate for: Adolescent scoliosis patients, whether surgery is indicated or not. Also benefits adult scoliosis patients after surgery who may be experiencing pain.
Available at: Methodist Outpatient Therapy in Ridgeland and Flowood.
Spasticity Management Program
The Spasticity Management Program provides outpatient therapies such as Botox injections and the monitoring of implanted medication pumps to combat the crippling muscle stiffness associated with spasticity.
Appropriate for: Patients affected by spasticity related to stroke, brain or spinal injury and other neurological disorders.
Available at: Inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient hospital clinic and Methodist Physical Medicine.
VitalStim® Therapy
VitalStim® Therapy uses neuromuscular electrical stimulation to help patients recover from dysphagia, a type of swallowing disorder.
Appropriate for: Patients with swallowing problems related to stroke and degenerative neurological diseases.
Available at: Inpatient Rehabilitation, Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation
WalkAide
WalkAide is a wearable device that helps improve walking ability by using electrical stimulation to restore nerve to muscle signals in the legs of patients with foot drop. Specially trained staff at Methodist Orthotics & Prosthetics custom-fit the device, which uses tilt sensor technology to properly time the electrical stimulus.
Appropriate for: Patient with foot drop related to stroke, brain or spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy.
Available at: Methodist Orthotics & Prosthetics
ZeroG Gait and Balance System
The ZeroG® Gait and Balance System protects patients from falls while providing dynamic body-weight support as patients practice walking, balance tasks, sit-to-stand maneuvers and even stairs. Because ZeroG is mounted to an overhead track, there are no barriers between the patient and therapist. With ZeroG, patients can begin rehabilitation in a safe, controlled environment.
Appropriate for: All injury types with gait and balance issues.
Available at: Inpatient Rehabilitation, Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation in Flowood and Ridgeland