Like so many things in life you need to use it or lose it. Your muscles are no different. Building and maintaining muscle mass will benefit your body as a whole. When your muscle mass improves, so does your pulmonary function, bowel and bladder function, the risk of joint contractures lessens, spasticity reduces, and our mental outlook is more positive.
How does one build muscle mass? Exercise is the first solution that comes to mind. However, you may have limited residual muscle strength, are unable to actually fire your muscles naturally, you may suffer from a medical condition or you may have an injury making exercise difficult or altogether impossible. So you need help.
Movement Therapy is a form of therapy being performed by a medical professional along with mechanical and electronic intervention to move you in a fashion that helps prevent muscle atrophy. Introducing a mechanical device such as the MOTOmed to support, challenge and assist you with lower and upper extremity movement is not new but gaining popularity from ICU to the YMCA. These devices offer passive motion, motor assist motion and active resistance to their users. They are simple to operate, they document your progress, and have safety features to prevent injury. The MOTOmed does not require a transfer and takes up a very small space in your room. You can even add on FES (Functional Electronic Stimulation) which is a system to make your nerves fire your muscles when your neurological system cannot. These are routinely prescribed for use at home for people with those indications.
So the excuses are off the table, the solutions are available today and it is only up to you to decide if you will lose it, or use it!
Be sure to read MOTOmed patient testimonials located in the menu near the top of the page.