What is robotic therapy?
Robotic therapy, also known as robotic rehabilitation, uses robotic devices to help the body move more easily. These devices work with your body, guiding limb movements through smart technology and ergonomic design. They support activities like assisted walking, rehabilitation excercises, and weight-bearing movements, making therapy less physically demanding for patients.
When do you need robotic therapy?
Robotic therapy encompasses a wide range of training devices aimed at restoring lost body functions caused by neurological or traumatic events. It facilitates long-lasting, simple and repetitive motion tasks, ensuring the intensity, precision and consistency of rehabilitation training with good motion accuracy.
This treatment method can benefit patients with neurological conditions, the elderly, and those with orthopaedic conditions such as:
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury
- Parkinson’s disease
- Spinal cord injury
- Balance impairments
- Gait impairments
The robotic devices available at Parkway Rehab Robotics Centre include:
- C-Mill VR+
- Lokomat Nanos
- Erigo Pro
- Ekso NR
- Armeo Spring
- H-Man
What can you expect during robotic therapy?
Robotic therapy sessions typically last between 45 minutes – 1 hour, depending on the condition being treated. The number of sessions required will also vary, but most patients need a minimum of 15 sessions.
Before the procedure
Before starting, your therapist will help you get comfortable by preparing a harness and securely fastening the necessary parts of your body to the robotic device. This ensures you are safely supported and ready for the session.
During the procedure
Once ready, your therapist will adjust the settings on the robotic device to suite your needs. The machine will guide your body through gentle, repetitive movements, helping you exercise the areas that need attention while you follow along.
After the procedure
When the session ends, your therapist will carefully remove the harness and straps, and you can take a moment to rest and review your progress.