Source: Biodex Medical Systems, Inc.
Merge of music therapy and biomedical technology takes a groundbreaking step for neurological rehab
May 19, 2017, Shirley NY – In response to the strong base of evidence supporting the use of music therapy techniques in treating gait disorders, Biodex Medical Systems, Inc. announces the release of their Gait Trainer 3 with an Integrated Music Therapy option. This is the first time music therapy has been joined with a biomedical system to aid in rehabilitating individuals with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke and Parkinson’s disease.
Decades of research point to the value of neurologic music therapy for treating sensorimotor functions. Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) and patterned sensory enhancement (PSE) are two techniques using audio cues in music to activate areas of the brain that facilitate movements desirable for gait. By combining RAS and PSE music therapy capabilities with the instrumented deck of the Gait Trainer 3, Biodex takes the first step toward bringing this treatment into broader clinical use.
Music for Quality Movement
Since the music used in this type of treatment must be specifically selected or composed for this function (or else gait detriment could occur), Biodex teamed up with the Movement Tracks Project to equip the Gait Trainer 3 with a starter library of music therapy-informed compositions only licensed for use on this Biodex device. Therapists can also upload their own songs, and transfer them to a patient’s personal device to reinforce training outside the clinical setting.
Hope Young, president and founder of the Center for Music Therapy, Inc. and co-producer of the Movement Tracks Project explains, “The idea behind merging the music technologies with biomedical technologies is that right now there is nothing to bridge the gap. And the music is so powerful in the treatment of these disorders . . . everything has to be done live by a music therapist. And there’s too few of us.”
Changing the Future of Neurologic Rehabilitation
Although the number of individuals being diagnosed with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and cerebral palsy grows each year, the current ratio of physical therapists to music therapists is 30 to 1. Using the Gait Trainer 3, music therapists will be able to prove outcomes with biomedical feedback from the Biodex Gait Trainer 3. This will help expand their reach to better serve this growing population through collaborative care.
“We can’t magically clone extras of us,” Young stated. “This device efficiently lets us take the best of our training, practice and skills, and have them recorded and then shared with the rest of the clinical team. It helps us to be able to see more patients with the amount of time that we have.”
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About Biodex Medical Systems, Inc.
Biodex Medical Systems, Inc. manufactures and distributes medical devices for physical medicine, nuclear medicine, and molecular and medical imaging. It also provides balance assessment for concussion management as well as fall risk screening and conditioning programs. The Biodex commitment to innovative excellence spans more than 60 years. Our customer-driven support is why leading medical facilities around the globe call Biodex first. For more information, visit www.biodex.com.
