(From: www.fieldlabrevalidatie.nl)

Strength training enters a new era with Reforter from Hapticlink

Anyone who has ever had an arm or leg in a cast knows what it's like. When the cast comes off after a few weeks, the bone is healed, but you no longer recognize your arm or leg. A large part of your muscle mass has disappeared, simply because you haven't been able to stimulate your muscles enough. You also lose muscle mass as you get older. About 5 to 13 percent of people aged 60-70 suffer from this. For people aged 80 and older, this can rise to 50 percent. The consequences? From difficulty getting up and doing the shopping to falling in and around the house. HapticLink, a company that markets healthcare innovations, wants to change this with the Reforter and enlisted the Fieldlab Rehabilitation for user testing.

Selma Papegaaij, product manager at HapticLink, is certain. The Reforter is unique in its kind. "If you want to strengthen your muscles, it is wise to train with resistance. You can do this, for example, by training with weights or with a device that provides resistance through air pressure or a flywheel. The Reforter works differently. It has an electric motor to generate resistance. In combination with smart software, the Reforter gives the user a natural feeling of resistance. Compare it to swimming in water: the more you move, the more resistance you feel. You also experience that feeling, that haptic experience, with the Reforter."

Better training

But that's not all. What makes the Reforter so special is the combination of the device with smart technology. The Reforter continuously measures what you are doing and adjusts the resistance accordingly, even during a movement. This makes training with the Reforter extremely effective because you feel exactly the resistance you can handle and need at that moment. Selma explains: "A movement has two phases. In the concentric phase, you shorten your muscles. You do this, for example, when you lift a weight with your arm. In the eccentric phase, you lengthen your muscle: you lower your arm again. In that second phase, people are generally about 40 percent stronger than in the first phase. When training with weights, you have to base the load on the first phase: lifting the weight. Otherwise, you won't be able to lift it. But then you're not training your arm optimally in that second phase. The Reforter solves this by giving you more resistance in that eccentric phase."

First physiotherapists

The Reforter is being launched on the market for use by physiotherapists. "The physical therapist sets up the training program and the patient can get started. As a physical therapist, you don't really have to worry about it anymore. The Reforter guides the patient during the training: from the start with an instructional video to keeping track of the number of repetitions. And afterwards, a report is automatically generated by the Reforter. This allows you to discuss the training with your patient and make any necessary adjustments. We expect that this integration of measurement and training will be a major advantage for physical therapists. The current equipment in physical therapists' practices offers either one or the other. Now, everything the healthcare professional needs is in one device. That makes it easier and more efficient!

Testing

Are physical therapists equally enthusiastic? To answer that question, HapticLink enlisted the help of the Fieldlab Rehabilitation. "Of course, you want to create a product that adds value to healthcare practice. Is this what you need? Is it easy to use? What exercises do you want to do with the device? Which default settings are useful? We were able to ask these questions to professionals with expertise in the field via the Fieldlab Rehabilitation. This continuous feedback has been very valuable in the development of the software. And as a product developer, you can't arrange that yourself." A prototype is now ready. It is also being extensively tested. “We want physical therapists to be able to operate the device immediately, without complicated training and manuals. We will also conduct the final test in collaboration with the Fieldlab Rehabilitation.” The final tests go hand in hand with the process of obtaining medical certification. After that, the Reforter will be ready for the market.

Future

After use in physiotherapy practices, other possibilities will undoubtedly follow in the future, including use in gyms and at home. Selma: "We believe we can make the biggest impact for older people. Precisely because they often fall due to loss of muscle mass. This not only has an impact on the person themselves, but also an economic impact. If you go to a physical therapist, nine times out of ten you will find some form of strength training in the treatment. This applies not only to the elderly, but also to people with sports injuries, neurological problems, cardiovascular disease, and orthopedic problems. You can use the Reforter almost anywhere you need strength training."

Scientific evidence

"We have known for a long time from research that training with the right resistance is effective. Universities and knowledge centers develop devices such as the Reforter for this type of research. But these are often large and expensive and do not make it to market. At HapticLink, we want to change that and are committed to translating scientific research into the practice of healthcare providers. We are looking for affordable and compact solutions. Not only for large rehabilitation centers, but also for the physical therapist around the corner."

(From: www.fieldlabrevalidatie.nl)