When an injury or debilitating disease like multiple sclerosis sends its victim back to wheelchair dependence, there is always the looming question of whether or not they will ever walk again. The source and severity of the ordeal play a large part in determining the patient’s rehabilitation timeline. More fortunate victims have re-learned to walk in 4-6 months, but even the most aggressive rehabilitation patients may need a year or more before they can walk independently again. One of the major limiting factors is that progress is limited to a certain number of hours a week, when the patient can visit a staffed rehabilitation clinic for treatment. Patients, caregivers, and physical therapists alike agree that the rehabilitation process could be greatly accelerated if there were some way to continue treatment outside clinic walls and on the patient’s own time. With the ReWalk rehabilitation system, that change has finally come.
What is ReWalk?:
ReWalk is a personal assisted-mobility rehabilitation system. It features two robotic legs that are attached to the outside of the user’s existing legs via velcro and neoprene straps. On their back, users wear a battery pack doubling as an abdominal brace and disguised as a backpack. The ReWalk comes in one adjustable design, fitting frames from 5’3” to 6’5” and supporting up to 220lbs with full functionality.
Who is the ReWalk personal rehabilitation system designed to benefit?:
The primary audience that ReWalk targets patients who were born with fully functional legs, but who later lost the ability to walk reliably as the result of an injury or medical condition. As the patient undergoes rehabilitation in hope of regaining their ability to walk independently, the ReWalk system makes it possible to continue improving and re-learning to walk on their own time. Patients still receive focused treatment in rehabilitation clinics, but their rehabilitation timeline will be significantly accelerated because they are no longer confined to just a few hours of progress each day. ReWalk has a secondary audience, however, in patients who are in a constant state of dependent walking. For these people, ReWalk can provide security and freedom as they juggle managing their condition with living an active, fulfilling life.
With all of the people that the ReWalk rehabilitation system can benefit, there are still limitations to who can take advantage of this opportunity. Patients must possess reasonable mobility and strength in their upper body so as to be able to use the accompanying forearm crutches properly. Additionally, the patient’s doctor must clear them as having the necessary cardiovascular health and bone density to use the ReWalk system. Even with the assistance that the ReWalk provides, the patient’s skeletal frame must still bear part of the normal load that walking exerts. The ReWalk is not a fully automated system either, so patients must have the heart and lung health that is demanded of the average adult when walking.
How does it work?:
ReWalk has made personal rehabilitation systems possible with the introduction of its covert battery pack designed to support 20 hours of continuous use, and yet still achieve a full recharge overnight. The battery powers motors in the knee and hip of the ReWalk, providing support for the forward leg and assistance to the rear leg. The straps that hold the ReWalk legs to the user’s legs also act as sensors that detect shifts in momentum and balance. Users also wear a wristwatch-style controller that allows them to activate or deactivate their ReWalk, as well as tune the sensitivity of the sensors. By giving users the ability to tune their ReWalk quickly and conveniently, this system eliminates accidental “ghost lunges” and minimizes how heavily users must concentrate to walk naturally and comfortably.
How can someone get their own ReWalk?:
ReWalk personal rehabilitation systems have only been released for private purchase in Europe, but the recent FDA approval means that sales will begin in the U.S. before the end of the quarter. It has yet to be said whether or not ReWalk personal systems will be covered by health insurance plans. In any case, U.S. patients can seek regular access to the ReWalk rehabilitation system covered by their health insurance if the patient visits a rehabilitation center offering a clinical ReWalk systems. Contact Argo today to explore the possibility of applying for and purchasing your own ReWalk personal system.
Looking around the corner – What’s next?
With the successful launch of the ReWalk personal system now behind us, Argo and other medical technology pioneers are already making plans for the next step in wearable medical technologies. On the near horizon, engineers promise technologies designed to fit and operate just like the ReWalk personal system, but with fully automated locomotion – users will be able to walk with a natural gate despite lacking any sensation in their legs.
Even beyond that, however, engineers are already dreaming up designs for technology that will “re-wire” a person’s legs with computerized nerve ending, returning full sensation and locomotive abilities to patients’ own legs. Plans like these are giving survivors of brain and spinal cord injury new reasons to believe in a brighter future after their accident. Now we want to hear from you, our readers: Use the comments section below to tell us what rehabilitory technologies you think the medical world should work to deliver next.
