| THERA-Trainer

The goal of THERA-Trainer by medica Medizintechnik GmbH is to make it easy for people with restricted mobility to regain their lost mobility. That is why the family company has designed professional therapeutic products and robotic assisted complete solutions for all phases of lower extremity rehabilitation.

Dr. Kopf, your company develops professional products to assist therapy and rehabilitation, an area that is in high demand. What makes the THERA-Trainer product portfolio so unique?

Dr. Jonathan Kopf: Two days ago, I had a conversation with a rehabilitation center manager, who summed it up nicely: "THERA-Trainer offers the complete portfolio of robotic technologies to train the lower limbs.” It’s what we strive for: We want to offer products and solutions for all phases of gait rehabilitation and help every patient, ranging from severely affected bedridden patients to persons who are already very mobile.

Our design principles of “safe, easy, effective and affordable” make us stand out from the crowd. To highlight just two of them: “Easy” refers to extreme ease-of-use as daily clinical routine can get hectic, while at home, nobody has the time or patience to tackle complicated and time-consuming features. That’s where a setup that only takes one or two minutes is key. The second principle refers to “affordability”. That’s important to us because we believe that clinical centers, doctor’s offices, facilities around the world and – above all – patients and older adults should be able to access professional technology – even at home. This should not just be something that’s limited to a few affluent institutions.

Who benefits most from THERA-Training?

Dr. Jonathan Kopf: When it comes to inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation for lower limbs, the answer is simple: Everyone benefits - because we cover all phases of rehabilitation and treatment. A THERA-Trainer solution is suitable for multiple indications.

That said, we also have many senior citizens who train in assisted living or nursing facilities or at home. In these cases, attention is often given to activity and fall prevention aspects. For many, THERA-Training is synonymous with improved quality of life and independence in older adults. Case in point: My own grandma uses a THERA-Trainer.

Which devices were especially popular with REHACARE visitors this year?

Dr. Jonathan Kopf: Three devices stood out at this year’s REHACARE and attracted a lot of attention: THERA-Trainer bemo was met with great interest since the tool enables therapy and movement while the patient is still bed-bound. When it comes to early mobilization of critical care patients – and also dialysis patients - our THERA-Trainer bemo solves many problems that could previously only be addressed with outdated technologies or could not be solved at all.

At this year’s trade fair, another special moment with our THERA-music system stood out to me: A wheelchair user tested THERA-music and immediately started beaming with joy. This was an emotional highlight of REHACARE 2022 for me. With the THERA-music app, patients not only feel and see the activity on the display during training with our motor-powered THERA-Trainer tigo, but they can also hear it. This moment shows that the effect of more activity can be heard and experienced immediately.

Last, but not least, many visitors considered our new THERA-Trainer senso to be the highlight of the show.

The THERA-Trainer senso is a newcomer in your portfolio but is already very popular with patients and therapists. Which functions make this training tool so effective?

Dr. Jonathan Kopf: The unique cognitive-motor interaction makes the THERA-Trainer senso so special. The device incorporates the latest scientific findings because it combines movement and thinking tasks, making it far superior to purely physical training. The THERA-Trainer senso can also make a great difference for older adults and patients with increased risk of falls or persons with dementia, for example.

At REHACARE, it was also exciting for us to see that training with senso was even challenging – though enjoyable - for active persons because the integrated therapy software adjusts the level of difficulty to match the user’s ability. This has a motivating effect and is just great fun!