Webinar: the Perturbation Module of the UserTerminal MCU6

As part of the latest UserTerminal generation MCU6, a perturbation module has been released. The Perturbation Module allows therapist or trainers to actively imply perturbation stimuli to the training. Secured with a mandatory fall prevention, the subject is able to work on compensation strategies in a safe environment.

The webinar „the Perturbation Module of the userterminal MCU6”, held on 07. May 2024 gives an overview of the basic functionalities of the perturbation module and grants insights into the flexibility the system has regarding programming of own perturbation profiles, documentation, evaluation and analysis of training sessions (including BORG and pain scale, screenshots, HRV, …). Also the random perturbation generator, that is part of the module, is demonstrated and modified during the webinar.

The ability to prevent or resist falls Falls can be considered as a general life risk.
Not only elderly or previously ill people are affected, but also young, healthy individuals are at risk of falls without recognizable cause. Hence, millions of people fall every year, leading to injuries of the musculoskeletal system and associated gait insecurity. As every fall has the potential to cause serious health consequences, the ability to prevent or resist falls can be seen as a major threat to the indivual’s health. Due to the increasing aging of the population the problem and severe consequences of falls have already become a very significant topic and will further gain importance in the future.

Falls become a major threat to health during walking and everyday life
Walking is the most common activity that precedes fall-related events. Added to this is the unpredictability of fall events, which occur in a variety of scenarios in everyday life. The special h/p/cosmos perturbation module takes these aspects into account. The module offers a perturbation-based balance training by providing unexpected destabilizing balance perturbations - but in a controlled and safe environment. In other words, the module simulates common fall scenarios to improve the reactive stability and therefore the ability to compensate these destabilizing events and to resist falls. Slips and trips Falls are very often associated with walking and especially with slipping and tripping while walking (Kurz et al., 2016; McCrum et al., 2017; Pigman et al., 2019). This refers to a sudden and unexpected anterior or posterior change of speed. In the real world examples are that the foot gets caught on the edge of a carpet (trip) or the foot slides forward (slips) when touching down, e.g. wet tiles or ice.

Research
Because of the majority of fall causes, research has focused on sudden accelerations, decelerations or stops of the treadmill (Kurz et al., 2016; Liu, Bhatt & Pai, 2016; McCrum et al., 2017; Pigman et al., 2019). While slips and trips are the main cause in real life, interferences in other planes can also happen. Science and industry have created various technical equipment, nevertheless they are cost-intensive and realism and relevance are often questionable.

h/p/cosmos perturbation module
The h/p/cosmos perturbation module can provide extremely sudden changes of the speed. This can be as sudden and unexpected, that it is mandatory to use a fall prevention system, such as the h/p/cosmos safety arch with harness or the unweighting system h/p/cosmos airwalk® ap. Due to the powerful motor, the acceleration can be as fast as 17.36 m/sec² (for comparison: the sportscar Bugatti Veyron needs 2.6 sec from 0 … 100 km/h, that equals 15.2 m/sec²). But most of the perturbation events within a training session will be on a lower level and allow a customized training to a wide spectrum of patients. In due course of the training progress, the intensity can be adjusted with a few clicks.

Please also review our perturbation brochure which we recently released: https://www.hpcosmos.com/sites/defaul...

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