While watching the “TODAY Show,” Claudia Curry Hill saw the
opportunity to change her life.
Twenty-two years ago, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
MS took her ability to walk and she was looking for a treatment to
help her stay mobile. As she watched the morning show, she found
the treatment she needed to not only stay mobile, but to actually
walk again.
She was introduced to the NESS L300 Foot Drop System. It is a
program that uses electric stimulation to help people with
neurological problems walk normally. It sends electrical signals
through the leg to the foot which then signalizes the muscles to
move.
The device is worn in three parts. The first part is the
stimulation leg cuff, and it is worn just below the knee. It
contains two electrodes to stimulate the muscle, one goes over the
muscle and the other goes over the nerve. The muscles respond to
the electrodes, which actually move the foot on and off the ground
for walking.
The second part is the gait sensor and it attaches to the shoe
and is worn underneath the heel of the foot. The gait sensor lets
the leg cuff know when the heel is on and off the ground. The third
part is a handheld remote, which allows a person to adjust the
level of stimulation and to turn the device on and off. It can be
worn around the neck attached to a lanyard, or in a person’s
pocket.
Hill knew right away the NESS L300 was right for her. She
immediately searched for a facility in Colorado that carried the
device and came across the Wellness Center at Life Care Center of
Littleton. Physical therapist Disa Wennerstrand at the center
worked with people using the device and provided the therapy people
need to be successful with the NESS L300.
So for the past year Hill has worked with Wennerstrand using the
NESS L300 and has improved her walking ability. She no longer drags
her foot when she walks and is able to walk for longer periods of
time. Wennerstrand said Hill had a great response to the device and
can even move her foot a little bit on her own.
“Claudia has done great with this treatment,” Wennerstrand said.
“It really has improved her quality of life.”
Wennerstrand said most MS patients respond well to the
treatment, but other patients with neurological problems also can
use the treatment. She said stroke patients and surgery patients
left with neurological damage can benefit from the NESS L300.
“MS patients do great with the treatment because even though
some of their neurological pathways have been effected, not all of
them have,” she said. “They still have some pathways intact and the
treatment taps into those pathways.”
Hill credits the NESS L300 for getting her life back. She can do
activities she used to do before the loss of her walking
ability.
“I am able to travel again and I can go shopping again,” she
said. “It really has given me so many more opportunities. And now
my goal is to go hiking.”
For more information on the NESS L300 visit www.bioness.com
