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Device helps man suffering from MS to walk
Posted @ 05-Aug-09 23:41 under MS, News by pmbTags: MS, News
Walking is something most take for granted. For those who struggle with Multiple Sclerosis, putting one foot in front of the other becomes a very difficult task.
But one man said there is hope.
Dwight Riskey said he got his active life back thanks to a device that stimulates his nerves.
Multiple Sclerosis has made lifting his toes a major task for Riskey.
“I would fall almost every day at least once,” he said.
“I never injured myself badly, but eventually I knew that would happen.” Riskey relied on a cane for his every step. “I used to wear a prosthetic device in my shoe and it was very visible and it always made me feel awkward,” he said.
But Riskey traded in his cane for an FDA-approved device called the Bioness L300.
“There are two rubber electrodes here that push against my calf muscle and cause my toe to go up,” he said.
The device sends a signal to stimulate nerves that stimulate his muscles to make him walk with ease again. Since getting the device six months ago, Riskey has yet to fall. But Traci Bacon, a physical therapist with UT Southwestern, said the L300 doesn’t work for everyone. It just works for people fighting certain neurological problems.
“It really works on MS, spinal cord injuries, traumatic head injury, cerebral palsy,” she said. “… The reaction from patients when they put it on for the first time and see the toe lift is dramatic.”
Riskey said he definitely got emotional the first day he used the device. “It choked me up,” he said.
“I felt more normal in the way I could walk. It was a spectacular feeling.” With enough training exercises, Riskey could once again walk, even without the device. “It helps reeducate the muscles in the leg,” Bacon said. The device costs about $6,000.
Insurance may cover some of the cost, but not all of it.
Current Mood:
cool
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