Flint Rehab Scores an Additional $1.72 Million in Funding from National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research to Further Enhance FitMi, a Gamified Device Already Helping Stroke Survivors Worldwide

“We are honored to be one of the select few companies to receive this grant; only about 15 percent of those who apply receive the funding and we are thankful for the ongoing support from NIH,” says Dr. Nizan Friedman, Flint Rehab co-founder and CEO. “This funding will enable Flint Rehab to continue to enhance the FitMi to provide survivors with the best possible way to build their recovery and to regain control over their usual daily activities. Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability, affecting over seven million individuals in the U.S. alone. Flint Rehab helps stroke and TBI survivors to be motivated to exercise their impaired limbs every day to regain their lost abilities over time, even reaching full recovery through the FitMi, MusicGlove, and MiGo along with support from our online community of fellow survivors and caregivers.”

Development of the FitMi, MusicGlove, and MiGo has all been funded by competitive grants from the NIH, including funding from the NICHD’s National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research and the National Institute on Aging, and also from the Department of Education. As part of the grant application, Flint Rehab completed a competitive approval process by a panel of experts in the field to ensure newly developed technology is being released to market and that the innovation is sufficiently significant to justify the product. The panel also evaluates the approach that is taken, the method, and the track record of the team members involved. The Flint Rehab grant process from application submission through approval lasted about 10 months.

Specifically, in its testing of FitMi in conjunction with University of California, Irvine, Flint Rehab will answer the question of the importance for people to actually perform functional exercise compared to doing only subcomponents of functional exercise. The testing will examine whether the user benefits from performing repetitions involving normal daily activities, such as picking up a cup and drinking from it or if it is better to exercise by simply reaching out to a target object, putting it toward their mouth, and then placing it back on the table. Flint Rehab will put both of these options to the test with the new NIH funding and find out whether one is more beneficial than the other.

FitMi works through an accompanying app that guides users through a comprehensive set of rehabilitation exercises for the full body and marked the milestone of being on the market for one-year and its users producing 30M reps of clinically meaningful exercise in July 2018. As users exercise, FitMi counts their repetitions, provides real-time feedback, and monitors their long-term progress. FitMi can be used in conjunction with the MusicGlove, which is a sensorized glove promoting recovery of finger and hand movement. Stroke survivors use MusicGlove to exercise along with a music-based game, completing specific grips in time with notes that scroll down the screen. The Company’s website receives two million visits per year, connecting visitors to educational resources, support, and a 50,000-member community so both patients and caregivers alike can always find the help and encouragement they need.

About Flint Rehab:

Flint Rehab is a forward-thinking company dedicated to reinventing the way stroke survivors recover. Our experienced team of neuroscientists creates next-gen rehabilitation tools using the latest clinical research and gamification. Our most popular products, FitMi® and MusicGlove®, have empowered thousands of people to increase mobility and regain a positive outlook on life. We also provide educational resources and community support to motivate survivors to rebuild a life full of the activities they love! We’re the anti-boring solution that helps survivors engage with their therapy, day in and day out. Learn more about us here: https://www.flintrehab.com/

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