Patients of neurological conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease will now be able to more easily access an innovative, next-generation therapy, with brain-computer interface (BCI) recoveriX now available in hospitals and neurorehabilitation centers in various countries worldwide.
recoveriX, which was first developed by Austria-based g.tec medical engineering GmbH, uses BCI technology to stimulate muscles, helping restore function in the patient's limbs after being impaired by neurological conditions. Using recoveriX improves neuroplasticity, which helps rewire nervous pathways and replace damaged neurons that were affected by the stroke, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease.
A recoveriX session involves the patient sitting in front of a computer while wearing an EEG headset that reads their brainwaves. The electrodes connected to their limbs stimulate muscles electrically, causing movement of the joints. This is in conjunction with the patient attempting to copy the movements indicated on the screen. Studies by g.tec have shown recoveriX's effectiveness in assisting the recovery of stroke and multiple sclerosis patients.
According to g.tec medical engineering Co-Founder and CEO Christoph Guger, recoveriX's availability previously centered on franchises that partner with g.tec to open independent recoveriX centers. Now, hospitals, clinics, and large neurorehabilitation centers can purchase the recoveriX technology from g.tec and incorporate it into their operations.
Users in multiple countries, all the way from Japan to Canada, can now have quicker access to recoveriX. Immediately after diagnosis of their neurological condition, they can begin the recoveriX therapy as soon as possible. After they're released from the hospital, they can continue treatments, which are available in blocks of 25 sessions, at a recoveriX center near their home. According to Guger, the increased availability of recoveriX is a testament to the growing demand for the treatment and its benefits for patients with neurological conditions. He has observed that awareness of recoveriX is spreading rapidly by word of mouth, with patients who have undergone the treatment, now feeling better and sharing the news with their family and friends.
Additionally, Guger says that hospitals and neurorehabilitation centers beginning to offer recoveriX reflects patient-side demand, with these patients requesting that their healthcare provider look into offering the treatment. g.tec began operations in the markets of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, which are German-speaking markets with a reputation for technology and innovation. This has made healthcare providers and potential franchisees in other countries more open to adopting the treatment. According to Guger, g.tec medical engineering's goal is to promote the widespread adoption of recoveriX to a point where patients can access the treatment within a 30-minute drive from their residence.
"The growing acceptance of recoveriX, now including hospitals and major rehabilitation centers, means a lot to us," Guger says. "We believe that this bottom-up growth of demand is the healthiest way to grow because people are experiencing the improvement first-hand and they want more providers to offer this treatment. This is more sustainable than a top-down initiative, where an authority orders facilities to buy recoveriX, but it's uncertain whether people are using it. We prefer that people use recoveriX and get better than recommending it to others, allowing them to recover the use of their limbs and experience a better quality of life."
