Myomo Live Better Blog

Myomo President and COO Steve Kelly participated at a recent MIT Enterprise Tech Event - The robodoctor will see you now.

Myomo mPower Application and uses:

- To increase ROM in the elbow
- To decrease hypertonicity and/or prevent it
- To prevent learned non-use
- To provide sensory input to affected UE
- To address inattention

Coping with depression after a stroke

Contributor: Cindy Lee, OTR/L at Myomo, Inc.

Interview of Dr. Gerry Fluet by Myomo's Amy Boos: Gerry Fluet PT, DPT is an Assistant Professor in the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's Department of Rehabilitation & Movement Sciences. He has been a Research Associate in NJIT's Robot Assited Virtual Rehabilitation (NJIT-RAVR) Lab since 2007. Gerry has published and presented extensively on the topic of robotically facilitated rehabilitation for the upper extremities of adults with hemiparesis secondary to stroke and children with hemiplegia secondary to cerebral palsy.

This article is a recommended read by Stefanie Conaway, MS, OTR/L one of Myomo's clinical specialists. 
Article in Washington Post, March 19th 2012A great article demonstrating the importance of exercise in stroke recovery and that it doesn’t matter when you start. Exercise, and more specifically – repetitive task practice – can speed recovery months and even years after a stroke.
Note: it is always important to discuss your exercise or therapy plan with your doctor and therapist before you start.

Guest Contributor:
David Karchem: is a stroke survivor who has been a great inspiration to our team at Myomo and to the many who listened to him speak at various functions.  He has been kind enough to contribute the following article, David also writes a blog if you are interested in reading more about David, please visit his blog. http://dkrehab.blogspot.com/

As a psychiatrist and researcher, Dr. Doidge helps the reader to understand the nascent years of neuroplasticity to its current belief with notable scientists and their radical discoveries along the way. He elaborates on the discovery that the brain is not hard-wired as it once was believed but is malleable and changeable showing remarkable improvements for people with neurological or psychological deficits.

The National Stroke Association’s Stroke Prevention Advisory Board established the first set of guidelines for stroke prevention in 1999. These guidelines are updated on a continual basis, so whether you are someone who has already had a stroke or are someone who is just looking for information about preventing a first stroke, these guidelines can help reduce your personal risk. Always remember to discuss these issues with your physician and get regular check-ups.

Written by: Peter G. Levine, Researcher, Author, Clinical Instructor

 “Why do I have spasticity? What can I do to get rid of spasticity? When will it go away?”

Adaptive Devices After a Stroke

Written by: Cindy Lee, OTR/L, Clinical Support Specialist

Surviving a traumatic injury like a stroke with residual arm weakness is life-changing and life-altering.  Trying to perform activities of daily living or hobbies you once enjoyed doing before will be a struggle and a challenge. Therapy can either help you restore your arm movement to its fullest potential using eclectic therapeutic techniques and cutting edge technology such as the Myomo mPower and PERL techniques or it can help you to compensate for the deficit using low technological adaptive devices to regain independence. Some examples of low technological adaptive devices that are typically suggested for activities of daily living are listed below. Many of these devices can be found on sites like www.ncmedical.com your therapist should be able to provide additional information from where to purchase these devices.