The Tibion™ Bionic Leg
Exclusively in New Jersey at
Marlton Rehabilitation Hospital
Background Information – at-a-glance
What the “Tibion™ Bionic Leg” is – and isn’t

The Tibion™ Bionic Leg is an advanced biomechanical device. It contains pressure-sensors in a shoe insert to detect and amplify users’ movements, as well as an on-board computer to interpret those movements, and motors to assist the user in walking, sitting or standing.

 It is not a prosthetic, and is not intended for long-term use. For therapy, it is simply strapped to the patient’s leg over his or her clothes. At the end of a therapy session, it is removed.

How the Tibion™ Bionic Leg helps patients regain functions like walking

The human brain has a characteristic known as “neuroplasticity” – an incredible ability to repair and “re-wire” itself after injury caused by stroke or trauma. It can “re-learn” lost skills, such as walking, by simply repeating the necessary movements over and over.

The Tibion™ Bionic Leg helps patients regain function by letting them practice the repetitive movements associated with walking, sitting, standing and climbing stairs.

Patients who benefit from therapy with the “Bionic Leg”

The Tibion™ Bionic Leg can help:

• Stroke survivors
• Patients who need rehab therapy after orthopedic injury, hip or knee replacements
• Patients with neuromuscular disorders
• Patients with traumatic brain injury

Important note: the Tibion™ Bionic Leg is biomechanical. There is no electrical muscle stimulation, so it can be safely used by patients with pacemakers or implanted defibrillators.

Functions patients can re-learn with Tibion™ Bionic Leg” therapy

The Tibion™ Bionic Leg enables patients to “relearn” how to:

• Stand up and sit down independently
• Walk on normal surfaces with improved balance and gait
• Climb stairs

The significance of the availability of Bionic Leg therapy

The Tibion™ Bionic Leg is designed for rehabilitation with stroke survivors, patients with orthopedic injuries, hip or knee replacements and patients with certain neuromuscular disorders or brain trauma.
According to IRF-PAI Statistics & Trends, by erehabdata.com (presented at AMPRA conference October 2011):

Of the Medicare patients nationwide admitted into an In-Patient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF):

• 20% are stroke patients (23.6% in the South Atlantic region)
• 13.68% are for fracture of a lower extremity
• 11.79% are for replacement of a lower extremity joint

 

This data is significant in terms of potential candidates for therapy using the Tibion™ Bionic Leg, given that more than 45% of patients nationwide who are admitted to an IRF have conditions that may be treated effectively with the device. Additional patients may also qualify (those with neuromuscular disorders or brain trauma).

Note: the above statistics only refer to Medicare patients, and is therefore actually higher with the addition of non-Medicare patients.

Components of the Tibion™ Bionic Leg

• A pressure-sensing shoe insert that detects and measures the amount of weight a patient is applying to the affected leg
• A computer that adjusts the amount of support and resistance provided to the patient’s affected leg during different tasks and “predicts” what the patient will do next
• Two motors to provide support and assist motion
• An angle sensor in the knee to inform the computer what the patient is doing

Preparing for a rehab session with the Tibion™ Bionic Leg

The therapist:

• Puts a thin sensor pad into the patient’s shoe on the affected leg. This detects how much weight the patient is applying to the heel and front of the foot
• Straps on the Bionic Leg and plugs in a signal cable from the foot sensor pad
• Dials in the patient’s weight, and how much weight the patient must apply to the affected leg before the Bionic Leg begins to provide assistance
• Dials in how much assistance the Bionic Leg should provide when the patient stands, sits, and climbs or descends stairs

Time needed to achieve results with Tibion™ Bionic Leg therapy

Patients typically begin to show improvement in just a month of twice-weekly Bionic Leg therapy.
Some patients achieve significant improvement after just one session of therapy

Where Tibion™ Bionic Leg therapy is available in New Jersey:

Marlton Rehabilitation Hospital is currently the only organization in New Jersey offering rehab therapy with the Tibion™ Bionic Leg. Marlton Rehabilitation Hospital was chosen by Tibion™ to introduce the Bionic Leg to New Jersey because of Marlton Rehab’s commitment to innovative rehabilitation technology and its commitment to patient health and wellness. Marlton Rehab is the first rehabilitation hospital in New Jersey to receive CARF (The Commission on Accreditation of rehabilitation Facilities) and full accreditation of The Joint Commission. 

Marlton Rehabilitation Hospital
92 Brick Road
Marlton, New Jersey 08053
Toll Free / 1-800-988-9828
In-Patient / 856-988-8778
Out-Patient / 856-988-8700