This process will involve:
- Initial clinician assessment to determine general health status and hand function ability.
- Identifying a patient’s initial goal, in consultation with the clinician..
- Establishing a set of hand training exercise regimens specific to the patient.
- Identifying immediate, short-term and long-term goals.
- Creating a structured exercise program for the patient, with a follow-up plan.
To attain the patient's goal:
- Fundamental components for each segment are identified.
- Methodology for each segment will focus on processes that promote greater neuroplasticity (meaning that the brain will improve its capacity to rewire itself and to generate new neural pathways to replace those damaged by a stroke or brain injury).
- The MyHand™ device physical parameters (e.g. height, arm / wrist support etc.) are adjusted to suit patient needs and comfort.
- Appropriate feedback systems are put in place.
- We have leveraged an extensive understanding of neuroplasticity and post stroke or traumatic brain injury to develop and validate 16 distinct hand function protocols targeting various hand functions and associated activities of daily living (ADL).
A patient in their first meeting with their clinician (physiotherapist or occupational therapist), identifies an initial desired activity of daily living hand function goal.
The clinician will then perform a detailed assessment of current hand abilities and function. Based on the identified goal, the clinician will prescribe the appropriate exercises built into each MyHand device, to help with the hand training process to ensure patients reach their goal.
Please check out the "Clinics offering therapy using MyHand" webpage from time to time; we will be posting the names and contact info of the physiotherapy clinics that will be offering rehabilitation services using our system.
This natural phenomenon of the brain to reorganize itself, extends to both individuals who are healthy and for those who have sustained an injury to the brain. If and when there is damage to one or more parts of the brain, due to stroke or trauma, the affected brain cells die and unlike other cells in the body cannot regrow. The good news however, is that, appropriate training methods can enable other nearby brain cells to start learning the new function, which the dead cells used to perform. This is achieved by creating new synaptic connections (or new connections between the existing brain cells), and thereby creating alternative neural pathways, which then can enable the performing of the function(s) that was lost as a result of stroke or trauma. The recovery of the lost function can be complete or partial depending on the extent of damage sustained by the brain and is very much dependent on the rehabilitation program followed by the stroke survivor.
