Training and rehabilitation: fit thanks to hover technology

Amateur and professional athletes are susceptible to sports injuries, balance disorders or deficits in motor function and posture. Prevention and the right training can help avoid these incidents, while targeted therapy can support a return to sports after an injury.

In this MEDICA.de interview, Elke Muster talks about the dual purpose of the Sense Wave Medical system. She explains the hover technology, describes where Sense Wave Medical is used and hints at the company’s future innovations.

"Sense Wave Medical" combines two functions in one. What functions are they?

Elke Muster: Sense Wave Medical can be used as a training and a therapy machine or diagnostic tool, respectively. Many amateur and professional athletes use it as a training device. Athletes are susceptible to muscle strain, torn muscles or joint injuries because they often neglect the small internal muscles or the deep intrinsic muscles during their training. In this setting, the actual state of the athlete is measured. He or she can subsequently start training with the Sense Wave Medical machine. The Sense Wave technology trains the segmental deep core stabilizers, which are responsible for posture and motor function.

The Sense Wave Medical machine is also a therapy system. Sedentary people tend to have balance disorders, body perception disturbance and spatial disorientation, which can make them prone to injuries. In these cases, doctors prescribe rest for the affected extremities and crutches. This is complemented by compensation movements aimed at putting equal weight on both legs again and standing evenly. Athletes can use Sense Wave Medical for coordination or sensorimotor training and to perform exercises at different levels of difficulty.

Which diseases are best suited for "Sense Wave Medical" treatment?

Muster: The Sense Wave Medical device is used to treat and train spinal and sports injuries as a means of rehabilitation and prevention. It can also be used to assess the risk of falls in older people or to analyze dizziness occurences following injuries or surgeries. What’s more, as a therapy device, it can detect sensorimotor deficits in amateur and professional athletes, effectively reduce the risk of fall-related injuries, improve balance and develop sensorimotor skills pertaining to everyday life and sports.

"Sense Wave Medical" is based on hover technology. What is that exactly?

Muster: The Sense Wave Medical training and diagnostic system combines levitation (hover) and measurement technology. This combination allows static and dynamic measurements of a patient’s ability to balance. To do this, the patient stands on a sensor plate.  The pressure sensors measure the pressure points on the sole of the foot and foot symmetry in real-time. This gives patients information about their balance and stability. Sense Wave Medical also facilitates dynamic balance training of all systems involved in stability - the neural control system, the muscles, tendons and capsular ligaments associated with the joints.

This studies and trains the ability to compensate for sudden body shifts without falling. And since human beings actually move in a three-dimensional world every day and often have to respond to unpredictable changes, this type of training is highly relevant for primary prevention and injury prophylaxis. To prevent irreversible damage, healthy joints should also be regularly stimulated. This allows deep sensibility afforded by receptors to be activated again and again and permits training of functional joint stability. That’s also why the Sense Wave Medical system is used in nursing homes and to treat patients with neurological disorders. This type of training is also important in rehabilitation settings because it restores the body’s natural protective responses.

The device is controlled by software. What are its benefits for both physicians and therapists?

Muster: The software measures patient data via algorithms that compare the data with a reference database. The resulting test protocols indicate how the patient’s sensorimotor, visual, and vestibular organs of balance interact. They show both deficits and strengths of the patient. The software automatically recommends therapy steps. This enables doctors and therapists to act quickly and initiate targeted treatment. It also provides the physician or therapist with a basis for a sound medical diagnosis and treatment recommendation.

Since the software compares current measurements (or the actual state) with prior measurements (or the target state), physicians and therapists are able to determine the patients' progress, as well as validate and adapt therapeutic strategies. In doing so, the test protocols can also be used as a return to play criterion. If the athlete trains and recovers from an injury where he/she is then able to go back to playing sports or participate in an activity at a pre-injury level, his/her coordination is considered to be restored and healed. Once other conditional aspects are also in order, the athlete can resume team training. Software-enabled data comparability also decreases the risk of re-injury related to an early return to pre-injury levels of training.

Which other product developments or product features does Sense Product GmbH plan in the near future?

Muster: Sense Product GmbH will present its new products at a scheduled press conference during the MEDICA trade event. We are also working on developing a Sense App and additional training programs.