Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital treats thousands of patients each year due to stroke, spinal cord injury, lower-limb amputation, joint replacement, and other injuries or disabilities. To augment its physical, occupational, and speech therapy programs, Marianjoy uses advanced technology to improve mobility and balance.

The KineAssist-MX^® enables patients to complete a wide variety of walking and balance-related tasks to improve their ability to perform daily activities. The platform of this device is a computerized treadmill in which the speed is controlled by the patient's own movement. The machine contains a safety harness attached to a robotic arm, ensuring patients will not fall if they lose their balance.

By combining the principles of motor learning with improved balance and walking, the KineAssist-MX^® gives patients the opportunity to experience challenges, as they would in their communities, but in a safe environment where they cannot fall, helping them to build confidence as they progress in their Marianjoy therapy program. Research shows that this experience leads to neuroplastic changes in the patient's brain that significantly help improve mobility and balance.

Using the KineAssist-MX^®, a patient can practice different tasks–such as putting their full weight onto their affected leg, walking, or sit-to-stand exercises--helping their muscles to be retrained and to relearn the proper way to perform these movements. In repeating these activities successfully over several sessions, the patient is able to maintain these correct postures and movements, improving their mobility and independence in real-world situations.

To learn more about Marianjoy's Assistive Rehabilitation Technology Institute, visit http://www.marianjoy.org/Assistive-Technology.aspx

Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital

26W171 Roosevelt Road

Wheaton, IL 60187

630-909-8000

[ www.marianjoy.org ]