Physical therapy helps College Station woman regain use of arms

Shonnie Moore of College Station, paralyzed in a July 2005 traffic accident, has had to learn how to eat, bathe and live all over again through Physical Therapy. “They call it [becoming a quadriplegic] a new birth,” she said.

Julie Cernel of St. Joseph Rehabilitation Center in Bryan, who served as Moore’s physical therapist for 13 months, has improved her Functional mobility and strength through exercises and aquatic therapy. Continue Reading »

Flying gives man freedom

COLUMBUS – To earn a pilot’s license is a great accomplishment, and to overcome additional obstacles to obtain the privilege of flight is a tremendous feat.

Randy Bonczynski overcame the loss of movement in his legs and received his license Tuesday.

“Tuesday was the day and it feels fantastic,” Bonczynski said. “It is a dream come true and a

goal reached.” Continue Reading »

Robot Wheelchair May Give Patients More Independence

Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are developing a robotic system that may offer wheelchair-dependent people independent, powered mobility and the ability, depending on patient status, to move to and from beds, chairs and toilets without assistance.*

The lifting ability of the system, which is called the “HLPR Chair” (for Home Lift, Position and Rehabilitation), also should significantly reduce caregiver and patient injuries.

The HLPR chair draws on mobile robotic technology developed at NIST for defense and manufacturing applications. It is built on an off-the-shelf forklift with a U-frame base on wheel-like casters and a rectangular vertical frame. Continue Reading »

New Recovery Gym For Spinal Cord Injury Patients

An injury to your spine can be devastating, leaving victims forever paralyzed, unable to walk, care for themselves or even breathe.

But there’s new hope for spinal cord injury patients in Central Texas. Brackenridge Hospital has opened a new recovery gym designed especially for them.

It’s key to many patients in their recovery and return to an independent lifestyle. Continue Reading »

‘I will walk again’

DAP chairman Karpal Singh has been wheelchair-bound since an auto accident last January. During his hospitalisation, he and his family downplayed the severity of his injuries. For the first time, he tells CHIN MUI YOON how he survived the ordeal and how he is coping with life as a disabled person.

PARLIAMENT is in full swing and veteran opposition MP Karpal Singh is in his element. Continue Reading »

Rocket Technology used to Develop a Physical Therapy Device

NASA Technology Helping Injured U.S. Troops

Patented NASA technology that originally enhanced robotics and sounding rockets is now aiding U.S. soldiers returning from overseas duty with spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., The revolutionary new Physical Therapy device named SAM, for the Secure Ambulation Mode, is based on technology originally developed and honed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Image right:NASA-developed technology was the basis for SAM, a wheeled walker that supports a patient ’s upper body weight and pelvis, and mimics hip joint movement. Credit: NASA Continue Reading »

NASA Technology Helping Injured U.S. Troops

Patented NASA technology that originally enhanced robotics and sounding rockets is now aiding U.S. soldiers returning from overseas duty with spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., The revolutionary new Physical Therapy device named SAM, for the Secure Ambulation Mode, is based on technology originally developed and honed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

NASA-developed technology was the basis for SAM, a wheeled walker that supports a patient ’s upper body weight and pelvis, and mimics hip joint movement. Credit: NASA Continue Reading »

Spinal cord bridge bypasses injury to restore mobility

Cleveland — The body’s spinal cord is like a super highway of nerves. When an injury occurs, the body’s policing defenses put up a roadblock in the form of a scar to prevent further injury, but it stops all neural traffic from moving forward.

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University, Drexel University and the University of Arkansas bypassed this roadblock in the spinal cord. First, the researchers regenerated the severed nerve fibers, also called axons, around the initial large Lesion with a segment of Peripheral nerve taken from the leg of the same animal that suffered the spinal injury. Continue Reading »

Disabled People ‘Left Behind’ in Emergency Planning

During Hurricane Katrina, Benilda Caixeta, a New Orleans resident with Quadriplegia, tried for two days to seek refuge at the Superdome. Despite repeated phone calls to authorities, help never arrived for Caixeta. Days later, she was found dead in her apartment, floating next to her wheelchair.

“Benilda need not have drowned,” testified Marcie Roth before the US House of Representatives Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus in November 2005. Roth, executive director of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, had personally placed calls to prompt Caixeta’s evacuation. Continue Reading »

Skin Deep: Imaging Technologies May Detect Pressure Ulcers

Skin Deep: Imaging Technologies May Detect Pressure Ulcers And Deep-tissue Injuries That Healthcare Workers May Miss

For people with impaired mobility and reduced ability to sense injury, the risk is high for pressure ulcers that can develop when they sit or recline in one position too long or wear a poorly-fit prostheses for an extended period.

Healthcare professionals routinely check patients for early signs of erythema, or skin redness. Continue Reading »