Bio-Medical Device Helps Foot Drop in TBI
Nearly two dozen Pennsylvania residents are recipients of a device that helps with foot drop after suffering a traumatic brain injury. The non-invasive device is the NESS L300 and straps below the knee. The NESS L300 works by electrically stimulating the leg nerves and muscles to raise the foot when walking. The device was first offered this past summer in the Pittsburgh region. Officials with Bioness Inc., makers of the medical device, said they are talking with West Penn Hospital in an effort to provide the NESS L300 for rehabilitation patients there. According to Bioness, more than 2.5 million people in the United States suffer from foot drop, with 200,000 new cases every year. The $6,000 device is at first worn only for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Early results indicate the device is extremely helpful. However, many patients who could benefit from it aren't getting it because their insurance providers won't cover the cost.
Physical therapist Amy Vtipil says she expects the NESS L300 to retrain the neurons to lift the foot so eventually TBI patients will no long need it. “One of the ways you retrain the brain is repetition, and if this device allows you to repeat the correct movement over and over again with every step, it's conceivable that it could train a part of the brain to take over a function that is lost or relearn something it had all along,” she said.
