STIWELL med4 Electrostimulator Strengthens Muscles and Helps with Stroke Rehabilitation
STIWELL med4, an electrostimulation device developed by MED-EL Medical Electronics, offers unique improvements to patients recovering after stroke or surgery and those treated for pain or incontinence.
The STIWELL med4 is an advanced electrostimulator that offers a diverse range of applications to therapists and physicians. The electrotherapy device uses four independently adjustable stimulation channels and two measurement channels to process myoelectric signals, which opens up a versatile range of options in therapy. The device is used in neurological rehabilitation, incontinence therapy and the rehabilitation of motor functions. The use of multiple channels makes it possible for therapists to stimulate complex movement sequences and get unique results.
The STIWELL med4 uses biofeedback functions and targeted training with an emphasis on the link between technical movement stimulation and deliberate movement intention to speed up the recovery process in patients who have lost mobility. Patients also get visual or auditory feedback while training.
The electrostimulator can identify muscle activities the patient has adopted to compensate for lost functions, which hinder the recovery of the original functionality. The ability to exclude compensatory muscle activities and suppress them is one of the features that make STIWELL med4 a highly efficient training tool. The biofeedback provided by the two electromyography (EMG) channels helps restore motor control.
Biofeedback games are used as a motivational tool in rehabilitation with the med4 device to help patients reach their therapy goals faster. The interactive games are adapted to suit the needs of patients suffering from neurological conditions and help them relearn functional movements after stroke or injury. The games can be used to train strength endurance, maximum strength, central innervation ability, intermuscular coordination and muscle relaxation. Therapy with the device can prevent or delay muscle atrophy after surgery or during immobilisation, strengthen muscles during rehabilitation, improve joint mobility and train movement among other things. The STIWELL med4 is primarily intended for use in hospitals and rehabilitation centres, but can also be used by patients at home.
The STIWELL med4 was developed by MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH, a global leader in medical technology and implantable hearing solutions. The company's products are the result of 30 years of focused research. STIWELL electrostimulators have helped therapists treat patients for 15 years, and are used in stroke rehabilitation, to treat incontinence, for pain treatment and muscle development post-surgery.
To hear what a specialist at one of the UK's leading providers of neurological physiotherapy and rehabilitation technology has to say about the device, watch the video below.