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LiveScience's Research in Action: Exercise Device Improves Arm Mobility in Stroke Patients

November 8, 2010

The Tailwind was developed at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, by Sandy McCombe Waller and Jill Whitall. Their research is aimed at improving the outcomes of stroke rehabilitation therapy by finding new ways to recover mobility.

With more than 700,000 strokes in the United States every year, effective stroke recovery is a significant challenge for many. The Tailwind is a new device that shows promise for stroke survivors who have not been able to recover their arm movement. Also known as BATRAC, or Bilateral Arm Trainer with Rhythmic Auditory Cueing, the Tailwind has been shown to activate the motor cortex, resulting in improved arm function in chronic stroke patients. Published Studies conducted in conjunction with the Claude Pepper Older Americans Independence Center in Baltimore have shown that chronic stroke patients who use the Tailwind – even many years after their stroke – can get improved arm function.

Encore Path developed the Tailwind after licensing the technology from the university and re-engineering the original prototype. The Tailwind can now be used by stroke and brain injury survivors around the world who can purchase the device for use at home.

Ideal Tailwind users have some limited movement in their affected arm, but in general even low-functioning patients can use the device. The device brings easy-to-use technologies into the homes of stroke survivors, one of the best ways to treat patients who are unable to rehabilitate in therapy centers.

Click here to view a video where author Kris Appel, a graduate of the NSF-supported ACTiVATE program and CEO of Encore Path, discusses the Tailwind.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. See the Research in Action archive.

— Kris Appel, Encore Path, Inc. and University of Maryland, Baltimore