No - the stimulation is only applied when the patient produces a real attempt to move the muscle and only then the stimulation is applied for typically five seconds. There is no muscle training involved with this short stimulation applied for 30 minutes, as it is merely a replacement for any other reward such as giving the patient a piece of candy or a sound, etc. It is found to be the most effective feedback, since the patient can see that he/she can actually make a difference and move the muscle - just by thinking about it. Some patients also benefit from the sensory feedback in addition to the visual.

Q: Is this like regular biofeedback?

No - Regular surface EMG (electromyography) may in some cases also have a very sensitive input, but for most other applications the input signals are filtered and averaged (RMS so that the small changes do not affect a steady and clear reading for monitoring). For stroke survivors — some have nearly no EMG activity or a lot of muscle tone with high background "noise" — regular EMG/biofeedback will not easily detect the changes that indicate a real attempt from the brain. The NeuroMove measures peak values in the EMG and has a very fast input circuitry. Instead of averaging the input, it does the opposite — looks for a pattern in the small changes that indicate a real attempt. A very effective demonstration of this is when a non-patient actually triggers the Neuro-Move just by thinking about it and imagining a movement of the limb.

Q: Is it complicated to set up?

No - The procedure for each 30 minute session is:

• Put the three self-adhesive electrodes over the muscle (position not significant, as input is automatically adjusted continuously).
  

• Turn on the device and turn stimulation level up slowly for a comfortable contraction of the muscle.
  

• Think very hard about moving the fingers, wrist, shoulder, foot or whichever muscle is being worked on. Only when there is a real attempt, will the muscle move for 5 seconds.  Then the display prompts the patient to relax for 15 seconds (changeable). After relaxing, it returns to "Ready" and is ready for the next attempt (relaxing is just as important as concentrating). This is how the entire 30 minutes are spent!

Q: What does the FDA say?

The NeuroMove was listed in 2001 and is the only device that has "Stroke Rehabilitation" as an Indication for use.  It is listed by Health Canada and has CSA approval.

NeuroMove NM900™