Veteran Resources & Stories | Myomo

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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Myomo, Inc. Launches Awareness Program for Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces

Ian Godzik — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 18:17:03 +0000

MyoPro® for Veterans is Designed to Broaden MyoPro Accessibility to the Many Veterans Who May Benefit.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., October 17, 2017 – Myomo, Inc. (NYSE American: MYO) (“Myomo” or the “Company”), a commercial stage medical device company, today announced the launch of MyoPro For Veterans, a strategic awareness program that broadens accessibility of MyoPro powered upper limb orthotics (arm brace) to the many veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces that could potentially benefit from the technology, restoring function to weakened or paralyzed upper limbs. Read more.

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Myomo, Inc. Launches Breakthrough Powered Grasp MyoPro Motion-G Orthosis

Ian Godzik — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 03:03:00 +0000

Cambridge, MA – October 27, 2015 — Myomo, Inc., a medical device company specializing in myoelectric orthotics for people with neuromuscular disorders, is launching the MyoPro Motion-G, a breakthrough in functional orthotics that provides elbow flexion/extension and grasping function, enabling paralyzed individuals to perform essential daily functions.

The MyoPro Motion-G is the first powered orthosis to enable both elbow flexion/extension and grasping function. The innovative elbow-wrist-hand orthosis is based on decades of work in myoelectric orthotics and prosthetics, including building on myoelectric research conducted by the VA Medical Center, West Roxbury, Mass. in 1990.

The Motion-G is the latest innovation in the company’s MyoPro line, which enables people to initiate and control movement of a partially paralyzed arm using their own muscle signals.

“The Motion-G now makes it possible for people with upper extremity paresis to grasp and release, opening up new possibilities to manage daily tasks and live more independently,” said Myomo CEO Paul R. Gudonis.

Sensors built into the custom device detect EMG signals in the bicep/tricep and forearm. The signals are amplified when a user initiates movement, driving small motors that help flex and extend their elbow and open and close their thumb and fingers for 3-jaw chuck grasp capability. The device also enables users to articulate their wrist manually.

A clinical study underway shows promising early results, according to Dr. Stephen Page, principal investigator for the study. The study will measure the approximate changes in subjects’ ability to successfully perform functional tasks with the device.

“We expect that this study will demonstrate that wearing the Motion-G significantly improves the ability to perform valued daily activities, and that the amount of active movement that people are able to attain during these activities increases as a result of wearing the device,” Page said.

About Myomo, Inc.

Myomo, Inc., is a medical device company specializing in myoelectric orthotics for people with neurological disorders. The Company’s products help to restore function in individuals with neuromuscular conditions such as brachial plexus injury, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, ALS, and stroke.

The Company’s myoelectric orthoses have been clinically shown to help restore the ability to complete functional tasks by enabling individuals to self-initiate and control movement of their partially paralyzed limbs by using their own muscle signals.

The Myomo technology was originally developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in collaboration with medical experts affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Myomo, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

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