Advanced Robotic Technology Helps Physical Therapy Patients Relearn How to Walk

Burlington, VT – When Somdeb Chatterjee of South Burlington returned from a vacation overseas, he expected to jump back into the hustle and bustle of everyday life: his job, home improvement projects and beloved pastimes.

Ten months later, after being diagnosed with a mysterious, fast-moving and progressive condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), Chatterjee, 39, is happy just to be walking again. GBS is a rare neurological condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves, causing weakness, numbness and paralysis. Chatterjee was diagnosed with a rare GBS that is more destructive and resulted in near-total facial paralysis.

Though regaining his strength, mobility and balance has been a slow process, Chatterjee said recently unveiled robotic technology has transformed what he is able to accomplish with physical therapists at University of Vermont Medical Center’s Rehabilitation Therapy Center, as he relearns how to walk. For patients like Chatterjee, recovery is an extended, arduous affair that offers little certainty. Chatterjee spent weeks in UVM Medical Center’s Intensive Care Unit and more than a month in the hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation program. He arrived for his first outpatient therapy appointment with barely any motor functions at all.

“When I first got home, I couldn’t even flip a light switch,” he said, noting that he has recovered from the facial paralysis. “Now, I can walk a little bit, but if you blow on me hard, I can fall.”

Chatterjee is optimistic that the weight-supporting robots – made possible by the philanthropic support of Tony Cairns and the Cairns family – will help him make a full recovery.

“It gives you that confidence that you won’t fall and that kind of rewires your brain, which is telling you ‘You can’t move,’” said Chatterjee of how the robotic harness system has changed both his mentality and physical training during therapy sessions. “Walking with a walker, I look like I’m straight out of a zombie movie. With [the robot], I’m walking normally.”

The robots – high-tech harnesses suspended from the ceiling above specialty treadmills and open floor space where therapists can create unique challenges – are dramatically changing the way patients and therapists approach treatment. The technology is particularly impactful for patients recovering from stroke, traumatic brain injuries and conditions like GBS, as they relearn fundamental motor functions like walking, balance and gait. The equipment also makes that work safer for both patients and rehabilitation therapists.

Supporting Patients and Rehabilitation Therapists Delivering Leading-Edge Treatment

“It’s a huge advance in treatment,” said Matthew Babunovic, PT, DPT, NCS, a therapy research educator and clinician on UVM Medical Center’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Therapy team. “Neuro-rehab is all about pushing someone, but without a certain level of safety it’s hard to know what someone’s limitations are.”

Patients are strapped into the harness and the robot is programmed to support a specific amount of their weight, based on each patient’s physical needs, goals and therapy regimen. It is a dramatic change from the previous standard of care, which relied upon therapists to physically support patients during treatment – something that therapists say limits the effectiveness of therapy and exposes patients and providers to a higher risk of injury.

“It can be incredibly taxing to do this kind of mobility and balance training on a treadmill,” said Babunovic. “Often the limiting factor in a session is you getting tired or sore as a therapist, because it’s a lot of hours spent hunched over in weird positions.”

Unlike so-called static support systems, which are generally only useful when a patient is on level ground, the robotic harness system is able to support patients in real-world scenarios that include bending, squatting and going up, down and over obstacles. The robots weigh patients in real time and adapt support based on the environment and workout.

“It’s been pretty amazing to see how excited people are to lose their balance and have the ability to attempt to recover without having a therapist right next to them,” said Heather Stevenson, PT, DPT, NCS, a clinician lead PT of UVM Medical Center’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Therapy team. “We don’t really have any other system where we can do this effectively or train patients in getting on and off the floor.”

Donor’s Generosity Makes Rehab Improvements a Reality

As a nonprofit hospital, UVM Medical Center relies on private philanthropic support to achieve its mission of serving a region of one million residents in Vermont and northern New York. Charitable gifts help Vermont’s only academic medical center push the boundaries of clinical care, research and education and support the exceptional work of providers and staff.

Each robotic system costs tens of thousands of dollars, and renovations were needed to raise and reinforce the Mobility Gym’s ceiling to accommodate the new equipment. It was made possible through the generosity of donor Tony Cairns.

“This is a wonderful example of philanthropy bringing a benefit to our patients that would not otherwise be possible.  We are deeply grateful to Tony Cairns and his family for their generosity and vision,” said Ginger Lubkowitz, chief development officer for University of Vermont Health Network.

Cairns, the now-retired former owner of Champlain Oil Company, stewards a philanthropic endowment set up to benefit Fanny Allen by his father, who received life-saving care at what was then Fanny Allen Hospital. Each year, the Cairns family endowment generates about $100,000 that goes to support upgrades and improvements at Fanny Allen.

This year, with the rehabilitation team in need of about $500,000 to add the robots to its operations, the Cairns family approved the entire amount. Cairns said it was an easy decision, given the need for rehabilitation services and the impact the systems would have on both patients and physical therapists.

“The robot is pretty ingenious, and there is certainly a need for the services,” said Cairns. “Having a whole separate room for it is great; we were happy to fulfil the need.”