GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital has opened a Biofeedback Laboratory for Neuromuscular Re-education.
The Grand Rapids, Mich., hospital is the only facility in the Midwest -- and one of just seven in the nation -- to offer the therapy, which is designed for patients with neurological disabilities such as spinal cord injury and cerebral palsy.
Mary Free Bed's new laboratory was created in conjunction with Dr. Bernard Brucker from the University Of Miami School Of Medicine. Dr. Brucker pioneered the procedure for biofeedback neuromuscular rehabilitation in 1969. Known as the "Brucker Method," the procedure is based on operant conditioning and is designed to teach individuals to use motor cells in the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord more efficiently.
The laboratory will be led by biofeedback therapists Brittany Moore and Megan Potter, both of whom trained under Dr. Brucker in Miami.
How It Works
Biofeedback therapy shows the most promise for patients with neurological disabilities caused by spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Guillain-Barre syndrome, encephalitis, polio/post-polio, myelitis, and Bell's palsy.
"The most remarkable part about neuromuscular rehabilitation is that it is not a time-sensitive therapy -- there is no window of opportunity that can be missed," says therapist Megan Potter. "Biofeedback offers hope to patients who may have stopped seeking alternative solutions or who may feel it's too late to attempt rehabilitation."
The therapy uses operant conditioning, in which desired behavior is immediately reinforced through a rewarding stimulus. Through immediate visual and auditory feedback, patients learn how to reproduce, maintain, and control responses to maximize muscle function.
"Ultimately, we help the brain reconnect with parts of the body it is not communicating with," says therapist Brittany Moore.
To Learn More
To learn more about the service, which is available only through a prescription, please call (616) 242-0392 or (800) 528-8989 or log on to http://www.maryfreebed.com .
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital is an 80-bed, not-for-profit, acute rehabilitation center. Its mission is to restore independence, hope, and freedom through rehabilitation to people with disabilities. As West Michigan's largest provider of rehabilitation services, its services include: quality patient care for both inpatient and outpatient settings; rehabilitation research; education and training; assistive technology; and advocacy. Programs include: brain injury; spinal cord injury; stroke and orthopedic; pediatric/adolescent, amputee, Lymphedema, Vestibular, motion analysis center, rehab technology center, orthotics and prosthetics services, and driver rehab.
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital
CONTACT: Meg Derrer, Marketing Director of Mary Free Bed RehabilitationHospital, +1-616-242-0474, meg.derrer@maryfreebed.com ; or Christine Hoek,Public Relations, +1-616-662-9241, christine@articulate-pr.com
Web site: http://www.maryfreebed.com/
