Balance Evaluation Systems
NeuroCom International, Inc., Clackamas, Oregon, a leading
manufacturer of medical devices for patients with balance-associated
problems, produces the EquiTest® System, a clinical tool
which offers utility in diagnosis and in training of patients
with balance and mobility disorders.
The EquiTest System evaluates balance under dynamic test conditions.
Both systems are based on core technologies developed under
NASA funding. They are "computerized posturography"
machines that measure patient responses to movement of a platform
on which the subject is standing or sitting, then provide computer-generated
assessments of the patient's postural alignment and stability.
Widely used by major medical centers in the U.S. and abroad,
they have applicability to diagnosis and treatment of such conditions
as head injury, stroke, chronic dizziness, heightened risk of
falling, and vestibular and central nervous system disorders.
NeuroCom's Balance Master is used by NASA to measure the equilibrium
of Space Shuttle astronauts on return from orbit, and Russia
recently installed the equipment for use in its space program.
In medical testing and rehab use, a patient sits or stands on
the platform and works with a special computer training game
designed to address specific balance problems. The patient is
instructed to move his body in ways that control a small figure
on a computer monitor; the goal is to make the figure reach targets
on the screen. Therapists can design targets to encourage specific
movements by the patient that will help build physical stability,
endurance and confidence. Repeated testing provides both patient
and therapist an indication of progress.
The Balance Master is a tool for diagnosis and training of
patients with balance disorders.
Now chairman of NeuroCom, Lewis M. Nashner, Sc. D., founded
the company in 1984 with initial research grant support from
NASA. The original grant helped support development of EquiTest;
subsequent funding under the Small Business Innovation Research
program supported development of the Balance Master.
®EquiTest and Balance Master are registered
trademarks of NeuroCom International, Inc.
|
