CHENNAI: L Sashi is paralysed down one half of his body. So to see him at a fast trod on a treadmill-like machine, both legs moving rapidly, is incredible. This though, is soon set to become a common sight as more patients start using Apollo Hospital’s latest state-of-the-robotics technology.
Designed and manufactured by Hocoma, a firm based near Zurich, the equipment consists of three devices: the Lokomat, the Armeo and the Erigo. They are designed for patients who have had strokes, spinal injuries, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis or other neurological disorders.
“This is the first time in India these devices have been installed in a hospital. We realised that the need of patients with neurological disorders is acute and this will help considerably in their therapy,’’ said Preetha Reddy, managing director of the hospital.
The Lokomat for instance, combines a robotic gait orthosis and an advanced body weight support system with a treadmill. The robotic arms move paralysed hips and knees at an adjustable speed.
The second device, the Armeo, is designed for upper limb re-training with an adjustable arm support and a sensitive handgrip.
For patients who are bed-ridden, the Erigo includes verticalisation, leg movement and loading on an adjustable tilt table with a robotic stepping mechanism.
Explaining that the devices did not do away with conventional physiotherapy but only enhanced it, Gery Colombo, CEO of Hocoma, said that the devices would help patients as studies had shown patients improved in considerably shorter spans of time with the equipment than without it.
It also gave them a better gait and symmetry, he said. “It also helps hospitals in that, manpower will be reduced as fewer people will be needed,’’ he said.
Physiotherapists at Apollo have already been trained and the equipment, worth a total of $1 million, is in use. Patients will be charged Rs 1,500 per session which lasts for about forty minutes and may need to spend between Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000 for the entire course of therapy.