Carter Rehab offers free balance testing

By: 
MEGAN LINSKI

For the month of January, Carter Rehabilitation & Aquatic Centers (CRAC) at 902 Industrial Drive in Tecumseh will be offering a free balance screening for anyone interested in testing for balance-related issues. The test will be given on the NeuroCom Balance Master; a machine that represents the most advanced balance and mobility assessment and treatment equipment available on the market today. The NeuroCom Balance Master uses the same technology used by NASA to measure equilibrium in shuttle crews pre- and post- flight to identify and treat problems with balance, mobility and/or dizziness. Bob Leffler, Director of CRAC, has been trained on the machine, along with physical therapist Toni Garrison, and says the NeuroCom Balance Master takes the guesswork out of identifying balance problems that arise in patients due to age or injury.

 “The primary objective is to look at the sensory and motor systems and see if there’s a deficiency in any system. It tells us exactly where the impairment is and breaks everything down mathematically,” Leffler said. “Then it helps us retest and see if what we’re doing is working, to see if we’re closer to getting the patient back to normal.”

The NeuroCom Balance Master uses a highly-sensitive force plate connected to a computer to measure the patient’s center of gravity and their weight bearing symmetry as they perform tasks designed to assess balance and ability. The three main senses that are tested using the NeuroCom Balance Master include the vestibular, visual and somatosensory, while other tests measure the patient’s ability to perform mobility tasks in their day-to-day lives. The data is then used to construct the best possible treatment for these patients at CRAC.

“It’s all evidence based, insurance approved and measurable,” Leffler said. “We have a lot of Baby Boomers coming up, and fifty percent of people over age sixty-five will experience a fall. We want to prevent that and make people safer.”

The NeuroCom Balance Master can also be used to help athletes, according to Teresa Shema, Regional Director of Rehabilitation Services. “Athletes can come take the test and get their baseline information, and if they get a concussion they can come test again. It helps the physician look and see if they’re back to their baseline in recovery,” Shema said.

The NeuroCom Balance Master includes interactive technology with instant biofeedback, which is displayed on a computer screen to guide patients during rehabilitation. The patient’s movements display onscreen in the form of an icon that follows the task as it is being performed. The therapist can design targets to encourage specific movements by the patient as he or she attempts to make their icon reach the targets. Both the clinician and the patient can watch onscreen in real time as the patient performs certain tasks in order to control their icon. The NeuroCom Balance Master also has specific applications for patients recovering from stroke, head, orthopedic and sports injuries, as well as applications to aid aging patients with problems such as unsteadiness.

“We believe in good medicine and in giving our therapists the best possible tools to help the community. Even someone who lives forty-five minutes away can come test here and do rehab somewhere else. We have the only machine like this in Lenawee County,” Shema said.

Those interested in balance testing using the NeuroCom Balance Master can find more information by calling 517.265.6007.

“The results I’ve witnessed myself show me it’s working,” Leffler said. “Patients tell me their day-to-day life has improved, and that makes it all worthwhile.”

Category:

Tecumseh Herald

 

110 E. Logan St.
P.O. Box 218
Tecumseh, MI 49286
517-423-2174
800-832-6443

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