Naturopathic medicine maintains a solid foundation in taking a holistic approach to diagnostics and treatment, a truth that does not end with chronic conditions like Lyme disease and eczema. In fact, there is a definite gap when it comes to holistic rehabilitation required for neurological conditions due to traumatic injury or neurodegenerative disease.
That is why the Nardella Clinic started a full neurological rehabilitation program complete with an experienced physiotherapist, chiropractor, and leading edge technology.
At the centre of this technology is ICARE, the Intelligently Controlled Assistive Rehabilitation Elliptical.
Designed by Dr. Judith Burnfield at the renowned Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Nebraska, ICARE is a motorized elliptical trainer that, assisted by a suite of advanced sensors, adapts to the needs and abilities of patients. The simplest, most obvious benefit of this machine is that it enables physical activity for people who may not be able to do so themselves.
Put in a more interesting way: it’s a gait-training robot.
So in addition to all the standard benefits of physical activity, ICARE helps to train (or retrain) a patient’s ability to move normally. ICARE helps people with:
- Stroke
- Parkinson’s
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Cerebral Palsy
- Spinal cord injury (including paraplegia and quadriplegia)
- Pre and post Joint replacement
- TBI
If you are like me, you have just read that list and say, “paraplegia? Not possible.” But ICARE goes well beyond what we think of when we imagine “training”. It provides the necessary progression and repetition to train the brain by improving neuroplasticity. ICARE helps the nervous system recreate pathways that may be severed, or route around problem areas. This kind of process requires thousands of footsteps moved both naturally and with precision. ICARE is the machine that can accomplish this feat.
While naturopathic doctors make use of the best science and technology, a physiotherapist oversees treatment using ICARE. The frequency and duration of treatment depends solely on the patients’ needs and their tailored treatment plan. A patient may visit once every couple of weeks or daily. As always, the Nardella Clinic ensures that all diagnostics and treatments are based around the individual and their situation.
Now you know one way that naturopaths create healthier lives through physical and neurological rehabilitation. You just need to let us know you are ready.
