Pioneering technology to help support balance and gait deficits is helping brain injury survivors in returning to work, new statistics have shown.
The Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) device has shown its positive impact in people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and stroke survivors, enabling them to regain movement ability they feared had been lost.
Now, it is helping to show its potential for brain injury survivors, with a new study among people living with long-term disabilities as a result of traumatic brain injury, helping to demonstrate its ability to support their return to work.
With use of the neurostimulation device, created by Helius Medical Technologies, five of the nine study participants were able to return to work – an outcome not previously expected.
Further positive potential of the United States study was shown in the fact that of the five, four were able to return to their jobs full-time for at least six months.
Six participants experienced a clinically-significant improvement in balance and gait, and eight of the nine said that such deficits were no longer a barrier to work for them.
Three of the six participants who indicated headaches were a barrier to work saw a reduction in the severity of their headaches.
The program participants were at least two years post-injury, and did not respond to standard rehabilitation treatments.
In the UK, one in three people sustain a brain injury at some point in their lives. Seven million people in North America are known to live with disabilities as a result of brain injury, with balance deficit being among them.
Return to work rate in the United States is around 40 per cent after brain injury – which highlights the potential of the PoNS to help redefine what rehabilitation could look like to rebuild quality of life.
The device works through stimulation of the tongue via 143 gold-plated sensors, which connect with two major cranial nerves in the brain to help amplify its ability to heal itself.
Combined with supervised physical therapy, the translingual neurostimulation (TLNS) technique creates a flow of neural impulses which are delivered directly to the brain stem, which can then travel through the brain and activate or re-activate neurons and structures.
“In my 31 years as a physiotherapist, I have never seen clinical results like this,” said Tanja Yardley, vice president of clinical innovation at HealthTech Connex (HTC), which alongside Pacific Blue Cross (PBC), ran the trial.
“One participant described PoNS therapy as a ‘life changing experience.’
“Not only did PoNS give these patients their lives back, but it also reduced the financial burden to the insurance provider and brought much-needed technology advancements to the patients who could benefit most.”
“These results demonstrate the significant impact PoNS therapy can have on the lives of people suffering from TBI,” said Dr Antonella Favit-Van Pelt, Helius’ chief medical officer.
“All participants to the study were deemed unlikely to work again and, remarkably, more than half resumed their former occupations for an extended length of time.
“In addition to significant improvements in balance and gait disability, PoNS Therapy helped with headache, cognitive, and mental health symptoms. We are pleased to have contributed to this impactful study with our innovative PoNS Therapy and proud of the role this treatment plays in improving the health of TBI patients.”
