 | Deb Wetta, RN, is a Director of Marketing/RN liaison for Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital, an affiliate of HealthSouth, provider of inpatient and outpatient physical, occupational and speech-language therapies and exclusive home of the AutoAmbulator, Makoto and Interactive Metronome. Deb can be reached at Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital, 8338 W. 13th Street in Wichita, 316-729-1140. |
Health & Medicine
2008-09-01 15:06:00
What’s a Makoto?
ANSWER: Makoto is the name of a unit of equipment used in therapy to help patients improve the neurological connection between the brain and the body. Therapy on a Makoto offers more than just physical re-conditioning, it also helps with cognitive processing, reaction time, and proprioception, which is the body’s awareness of its positions and movement. Improvements in these areas can lead to better balance, improved range of motion, and a greater level of consciousness, all elements that are vital to anyone looking to regain their independence.
The Makoto unit is composed of three towers that create a triangle-shaped space, or arena. When the patient is inside the arena facing one of the towers, the other two towers can be seen in the peripheral vision. Each tower has ten lights, or targets, that randomly illuminate, sometimes with an audible tone. The patient, using hands, feet, or a lightweight staff, respond to the prompts emitted by Makoto, actually touching the place on the tower that is emitting the signal. The unit electronically measures reaction time and accuracy of the responses, providing the therapist with information about a patient’s condition and abilities, and overall improvements.
Patients and therapists often remark that using Makoto makes therapy feel more like a game than exercise. It has been proven very effective for patients dealing with a wide variety of conditions resulting from injury or illness, (stroke, orthopedic injuries, neurological injuries) and it is a great tool to help measure your wife’s progress during her recovery.
