MyoPro Case Studies | Myomo

After a Stroke Paralyzed His Arm, Greg Is Moving It Again With MyoPro

Ian Godzik — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 20:05:16 +0000

Greg Alexander had a stroke in August 2018 that left his arm paralyzed. Therapy got him walking again, but nothing was bringing his arm back until a Myomo representative visited his clinic. Two months into using a MyoPro, he is already seeing more strength and more movement.

The Night of the Stroke

On August 8, 2018, Greg woke up around 3:00am and knew right away he was having a stroke. That night, of all nights, Greg was home alone. His wife was out of town, one of his sons was away at football camp and his other son was at a friend’s house. He knew he had to get help. After about 30 minutes of attempted calls, he was able to reach his sister and brother-in-law who live nearby. His brother-in-law picked him up and took him to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Learning to Walk Again, and Looking for a Way to Move His Arm

The stroke initially left Greg paralyzed. He eventually was able to walk with a walker, and then finally with a cane. He received therapy to help with general function, but besides therapy, he did not have any other solutions to help him move his arm again. One day at therapy, Greg was asked to participate in an in-service where he met a Myomo representative. The team thought he would be a great candidate for the device and gave him confidence that he would be able to move his arm again with his very own MyoPro.

Trying the MyoPro for the First Time

When he first tried on the MyoPro, he felt hopeful. He felt that he might once again be able to use both arms and hands. He knows that realistically it will take time, but he is excited to try activities of daily living such as using a fork and knife with both hands.

Two Months In

Greg has been using his MyoPro for two months now and has already noticed an improvement in his bicep strength. He is ultimately moving more and more each day which makes him happier! Greg and his family are feeling very optimistic that he will continue to make these improvements as he uses his MyoPro for 6-8 hours a day with therapy.

Every stroke recovery is different, and Greg’s results are his own. Read more about stroke recovery, or find out whether you may qualify for a MyoPro evaluation.

Greg’s story is just one example. Read more patient stories to see how MyoPro is helping people regain arm function.

Learn more about regaining arm use with MyoPro.

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Stroke Survivor and Army Veteran Dave Wherry Finds Direction With MyoPro

Ian Godzik — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 19:58:01 +0000

Dave Wherry owned an HVAC business and had a passion for woodworking. A stroke in 2011 took away the use of his right arm. After six years of rehab, an occupational therapist suggested MyoPro, and it has given him back his confidence and his wood shop.

Life Before the Stroke

Dave was a fixer, first with a direct support maintenance group in the Maryland Army National Guard and then as the hands-on owner of a thriving HVAC company. A father of five, his children and grandchildren kept him busy with baseball games, soccer and dance.

The Stroke That Took His Right Arm

Life as Dave knew it suddenly changed on January 30, 2011. A stroke left him without movement on his right side, not to mention fear and uncertainty. “I was crawling under houses earlier that day,” he says. “Then somebody turns the switch off and says, ‘you’re not going to do that anymore.’”

Six Years of Rehab, Then MyoPro

At 61 years old, he had to give up his business. The tools in his wood shop collected dust. All he could do was focus on rehab, which he pursued with the help of the Baltimore VA hospital and the University of Maryland. After six years of struggle and roadblocks, an occupational therapist suggested that he try MyoPro. It made an immediate difference, physically and mentally.

“Since I got MyoPro, my life has really gained some more direction,” says Dave, now 67. “Before MyoPro, my arm was just there. Now I can get it to do the things I want it to do. I’m able to load and unload the dishwasher, move clothes around. It’s given me a lot of confidence.”

Back in the Wood Shop

His days as a hands-on technician troubleshooting home heating and air conditioning units may be behind him, but thanks to MyoPro Dave’s able to practice his passion of woodworking again. In fact, Dave’s latest endeavor is making walking canes that can be useful for people like him, who have limited use of a limb. He made 20 canes in the first four months after he began using MyoPro.

Dave knows that making small strides will go a long way in his rehab. MyoPro is helping to make those strides even more meaningful. “If anybody says you can’t get something back that you lost years ago, that’s not a true statement. You can get it back, but you have to work at it.”

Dave’s results are his own, and every stroke recovery is different. Read more patient stories, or find out whether you may qualify for a MyoPro evaluation.

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Sara Groves – Brachial Plexus Injury

Ian Godzik — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 18:19:35 +0000

In May 2015, Sara was riding her motorcycle at night when suddenly another vehicle hit her as she approached an intersection near her home in Phoenix, Arizona. This awful accident was a hit-and-run that left Sara with 26 fractures, a shattered clavicle, and a brachial plexus injury.

After the accident, Sara spent a week in the ICU, then two weeks in observation, followed by more time in a nursing facility. Despite all of the care she received after the accident, she still could not move her arm.

At first, Sara’s physician claimed, “there is nothing modern medicine can do to fix your arm.” However, Sara knew she had to do something because hopelessness was not an option for her.

As a guitar player and a hairdresser, Sara needed to be able to move her arm. Being a guitar player and a hairdresser was a part of her identity and not being able to do those activities had a profound and negative impact on her mental health. She was not ready to give up, so she took matters into her own hands and switched doctors. She underwent nerve graft surgeries, muscle transfers and finally heard about the MyoPro powered arm brace through a friend.

She initially tried a MyoPro at Limb Lab, and her response after seeing the device work on her for the first time “you’ve got to be kidding me, I NEED this right now!”

After receiving the device, her mental health drastically improved. Sara truly believes that MyoPro is just as much of a confidence boost as it is a device to help with arm function. She loves the aesthetic of the MyoPro. “I feel cool wearing it” she said.

Sara is finding creative ways to play the guitar with her MyoPro. With some practice and some 3-D printed device attachments to hold a pick, Sara can now use her MyoPro to strum a guitar.

On top of it all, Sara has started a new hobby as a content creator on TikTok, where she posts videos of herself using her MyoPro. Her biggest goal is to share her experiences with overcoming the adversity that comes with a hit-and-run accident and a paralyzed arm. She hopes to inspire others in similar situations to continue to search for solutions. For Sara, the solution was MyoPro.

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Ten Years after ATV Accident He Found the MyoPro

Ian Godzik — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 16:30:03 +0000

College bound 18-year-old starts to regain arm function after a brachial plexus injury.

On June 6, 2008, 8-year-old, Zeke was involved in an ATV accident where he hit a tree. He was care flighted to Dayton Children’s Hospital where they discovered that he suffered a brain injury, a spinal cord injury, and a brachial plexus injury. Zeke received a lot of therapy and had to learn how to do everything again with one functional arm.

After some time at Dayton Children’s hospital, Zeke underwent surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with the goal of increasing function and feeling in his arm. First, they took a nerve out of his right shoulder and placed it in his left shoulder, then they took a muscle and a nerve out of his thigh and placed it in his bicep. Unfortunately, after the surgery, Zeke did not experience much progress.

At first, it was difficult for Zeke to go back to school and watch his peers participate in physical activities without struggle. However, Zeke refused to let his injury define him. He has an incredible outlook on life and always tried until he failed. He challenged himself to do the same activities a two-arm kid could do, even though he couldn’t quite do everything at the same level.

Now Zeke is 18 years old and he took the initiative to find a solution for his brachial plexus injury. One night, when he was feeling down about his arm, Zeke decided to do a Google search on brachial plexus injuries. That’s when he found out about the MyoPro. He reached out to Myomo and he quickly received a response to set up an appointment to try the MyoPro.

“The first time I tried the device on…it was crazy! Putting the device on and watching my fingers move and watching my arm bend for the first time in 10 years…I couldn’t even picture it. It was new to me! The whole time they were talking to me and explaining the device, I just couldn’t listen because all I wanted to do was bend my fingers and bend my arm as much as I could before I left,” Zeke explained.

Zeke has been using his MyoPro for over a month now, and he’s already seen results. He notices that he holds his shoulders better and that he uses his left arm more than he ever did before. He encourages everyone in a similar situation to never give up. There is always an answer out there, and for Zeke, the answer is the MyoPro.

Zeke plans on working with his brother this summer and then he is off to college in the fall. He is thrilled because he believes that his MyoPro will help him do all of the above.

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From Motorcycle Accident Despair to Daily Function

Ian Godzik — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 15:51:06 +0000

A motorcycle accident left Carrie with few good choices. Then a physician at Mayo Clinic recommended MyoPro.

Three years ago, 51-year old Carrie was thrown from her motorcycle, leaving her with multiple compound fractures, a dislocated shoulder and elbow and a serious brachial plexus injury. She spent a week in intensive care, then six months completely bed-ridden. After other parts of her body had recovered, she was left with a lifeless arm and hand.

Carrie was referred to Mayo Clinic, where she underwent extensive testing and evaluation – a complete neurological workup. She was presented with depressing options: surgery, which may or may not help a bit, and amputation. Carrie’s response: “I was completely overwhelmed by the news”.

Carrie had the surgery, which indeed helped a bit, but still left her without real function. Then her surgeon recommended MyoPro to restore function and aid in rehabilitation. Three months ago, she was fitted with the device.

Now, Carrie dons the device first thing in the morning. She wears it all day, and with it, she can do many of the activities of daily living that require two arms and hands: lifting and carrying household items, stabilizing food while cutting it, holding bottles while removing their tops. Carrie continues with occupational therapy, twice a week.

Not only has MyoPro helped restore function, Carrie says, “I feel like having the MyoPro has not only helped me physically by strengthening my arm, it has also helped to give me my independence back. I am looking forward to much more progress.”

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Giving Them a Hand: Wearing a Myoelectric Elbow-Wrist-Hand Orthosis Reduces Upper Extremity Impairment in Chronic Stroke

Darrell Schuur — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 15:00:20 +0000

Original Research

Giving Them a Hand: Wearing a Myoelectric Elbow-Wrist-Hand Orthosis Reduces Upper Extremity Impairment in Chronic Stroke

Peer-reviewed research published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

This observational cohort study, conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University’s Division of Occupational Therapy and B.R.A.I.N. Laboratory, investigated whether the MyoPro Motion-G myoelectric orthosis could produce immediate, measurable reductions in upper extremity impairment for chronic stroke survivors with moderate hemiparesis.

Study Design

Eighteen chronic stroke survivors with moderate upper extremity impairment were enrolled. Each participant was assessed on a battery of standardized measures — first without the device, then again while wearing a custom-fitted MyoPro. The primary outcome measure was the Upper Extremity Section of the Fugl-Meyer Scale, a widely validated assessment of motor impairment. Secondary measures included a battery of functional tasks (feeding, drinking, lifting a laundry basket, turning on a light switch) and the Box and Block test of gross manual dexterity.

Key Findings

P < .0001 Significant reduction in upper extremity impairment on the Fugl-Meyer Scale

P < .001 Significant improvement in gross manual dexterity (Box and Block test)

47% Average Fugl-Meyer score improvement (18.56 → 27.28)

Participants demonstrated statistically significant improvements in upper extremity impairment while wearing the MyoPro, with Fugl-Meyer Scale changes exceeding the clinically important difference threshold. They also showed significantly improved performance on feeding and drinking tasks, particularly in grasp quality and elbow control. Gross manual dexterity, measured by the Box and Block test, improved significantly as well. These results were achieved immediately upon donning the device, without any prior training on the orthosis.

Clinical Significance

The study addresses a critical gap in stroke rehabilitation: the approximately 80% of stroke survivors who exhibit moderate impairment and have limited options for participating in repetitive task-specific practice therapies. The researchers found that the myoelectric orthosis provided enough functional support to enable these individuals to perform daily tasks — such as feeding themselves and grasping objects — that would otherwise be difficult or impossible with their paretic limb alone.

The findings suggest that myoelectric elbow-wrist-hand orthoses like the MyoPro may serve as both an assistive device for increasing independence in the community and a therapeutic adjunct for rehabilitation, offering measurable benefit even without extended training protocols. Study Conclusion Summary

Authors

Heather T. Peters, MOT, OTR/L; Stephen J. Page, PhD, OTR/L, MS, FAHA, FACRM, FAOTA; and Andrew Persch, PhD, OTR/L, BCP — Division of Occupational Therapy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.

Full Citation Peters HT, Page SJ, Persch A. Giving Them a Hand: Wearing a Myoelectric Elbow-Wrist-Hand Orthosis Reduces Upper Extremity Impairment in Chronic Stroke. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.

About Myomo

Myomo, Inc. is a wearable medical robotics company that offers improved arm and hand function for those suffering from neurological disorders and upper-limb paralysis. Myomo develops and markets the MyoPro product line — a powered upper-limb orthosis designed to support the arm and restore function to the weakened or paralyzed arms of patients suffering from CVA stroke, brachial plexus injury, traumatic brain or spinal cord injury, ALS, or other neuromuscular disease or injury.

It is currently the only marketed device in the U.S. that, sensing a patient’s own EMG signals through non-invasive sensors on the arm, can restore an individual’s ability to perform activities of daily living, including feeding themselves, carrying objects, and doing household tasks. Many are able to return to work, live independently, and reduce their cost of care.

Myomo is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with sales and clinical professionals across the U.S. and representatives internationally. For more information, visit www.myomo.com.

Download Full Research Paper (PDF)

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