Bioness

Bioness produces highly advanced technology that can help people regain lost mobility and achieve greater independence. Their devices can play an important role in stroke rehabilitation, as well as in therapy for other neurological disorders.

Two Bioness units are available: one for the hand and forearm and the other for the lower leg.

Hand and Forearm Therapy

The Bioness unit for the upper extremities, called Ness H200, is a portable, bracelike device that rests comfortably around a patient's hand and forearm. Ness H200 uses electrical stimulation to reintegrate the brain and muscular function of the arm and hand.

The repetition of movement teaches the healthy parts of the brain to relearn lost function, thus improving hand function and voluntary movement. This, in turn, increases the range of motion and helps blood to circulate to reduce muscle deterioration.

Foot Drop Treatment

The Bioness unit for the lower leg is called Ness L300. It is designed to help patients who experience foot drop (sometimes called drop foot), a common condition characterized by inability to raise the foot at the ankle.

With Ness L300, a small leg cuff is placed below the knee. A sensor is placed in the shoe at the heel, and wireless communication between the two devices results in low-level electrical stimulation to the nerve that signals the muscle in the foot to rise.

This technology eliminates wires and allows the physical or occupational therapist the ability to fine-tune settings while the patient is actually walking. This user-friendly system is appropriate for foot drop caused by a broad range of conditions, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and incomplete spinal cord injury.