Bartlett Regional | HouseCalls | Winter 2018

10 HouseCalls Winter 2018 current function level, which increases his ability and independence.” “For Hunter’s upper body exercise program, I gave him some resistance bands,” Cummins says. “He couldn’t stand on his own without the support of his hands. So we worked on standing tolerance while engaging in functional tasks. One session, he watered all of the plants in the therapy department.” Since then, he’s made tremendous progress. Hunter’s high-school athlete mentality is one of his greatest assets. “I have such high hopes for myself, I guess,” Hunter says. “And lying in bed is the opposite of what I like to do on weekdays.” The FES300 Cycle: Not your average exercise bike A major part of Hunter’s rehabilitation is a state-of-the-art stationary bicycle, the FES300 Cycle (functional electrical stimulation). This bike is used to help patients with neurological conditions and spinal cord injuries. At first glance, the FES300 Cycle may look like a regular stationary bike, but the patient is hooked up to it through electrodes placed on the skin. It facilitates the patient’s movements by involuntarily contracting their muscles. It works both the upper and lower body. The FES300 Cycle was purchased by Bartlett not long before Hunter’s accident, thanks to a fundraising effort initiated by the community of Gustavus through the Bartlett Foundation. It was for another teen diagnosed with a rare neurological condition. Helen Addington, director of Rehabilitation Services, says the FES300 Cycle can also help patients with Parkinson’s disease or other neurological disorders. “Repetitive movement is soothing for these patients and will temporarily reduce tremor,” she says. Creating new pathways from the brain to the muscles The FES300 Cycle is easy for patients to use. “It’s a very natural movement and progression,” notes Cummins. “It retrains the body through neuromuscular reeducation.” Clarissa Prewitt, PT, Hunter’s physical therapist, says,“It provides stimulation to help activate the muscles and send information from the brain to the muscles to get them to start working, because that’s just what they’re lacking— that innervation from the nervous system for neuroplasticity.” Neuroplasticity is the ability for neurons that are still present to connect and create new pathways. “It’s utilizing what is still there in the nervous system to improve his sensation and strength,” notes Prewitt. “This activates the muscles in ways that we could not do otherwise.” Hunter’s progress A monitor connected to a website shows Hunter’s real-time and weekly progress, including mileage, energy TOP: Hunter walking on the treadmill, supervised by Clarissa Prewitt, PT. MIDDLE: Hunter with his grandmother, Debbie Rathbone, on the first day he walked into Bartlett, six months after his accident. BOTTOM: Clarissa Prewitt, PT, uses soft tissue mobilization to help relax tense muscles.