Therapy & Practice

State-of-the-art gait therapy at Schlossklinik Bad Buchau

For many patients at Schlossklinik Bad Buchau, walking is one of the most important goals after a serious neurological illness. Thanks to a regional cooperation with medica Medizintechnik GmbH from Hochdorf, patients and therapists have been benefitting from one of the most modern gait therapy devices for a few months now.

Schlossklinik Bad Buchau is located in the south of Germany in the immediate vicinity of THERA-Trainer’s headquarters. The clinic is part of the Federsee Health Centre and specialises in the medical care of patients with neurological and psychosomatic diseases. The interdisciplinary treatment teams offer comprehensive support based on the latest findings in rehabilitation medicine. The Schlossklinik is also an academic teaching hospital of the University of Ulm and thus maintains close links with teaching and research. Thanks to a regional cooperation with THERA-Trainer, patients and therapists have been benefitting from one of the most modern rehabilitation technologies on the market, THERA-Trainer lyra, for a few months now.

The integration of the gait trainer into daily therapeutic routines was handled by the team of therapists, consisting of 13 physiotherapists and sports therapists. One major advantage of the THERA-Trainer lyra is that it allows you to get close to the patient to work with them even during the training. The uncomplicated barrier-free access has also met with praise. Therapy manager Anja Pohlschmidt sees numerous advantages compared to the previous gait trainer.

Feedback from patients who had previously trained with the older gait trainer and were then able to make a direct comparison is equally positive. One of the biggest advantages is that, unlike the predecessor device, treatment in the THERA-Trainer lyra is not restricted to more severely affected patients. The lyra is also ideal for more mobile patients, who are mainly focused on gait speed and a uniform step length, says Pohlschmidt. According to her, almost all patients in the clinic with neurological clinical pictures can use the lyra. They include many stroke and MS patients, as well as people with Parkinson’s disease or even ALS in its early stages. “On average, our patients are in the lyra about two to three times a week,” explains Pohlschmidt. “As we have other training equipment in the same therapy room, where other patients are training at the same time, a small training group is formed in each therapy session, with each patient motivating the other,” continues Pohlschmidt.

Clinic management and Dr Alexander Unrath, Chief Physician for Neurology at the Schlossklinik, are also very pleased with the new purchase. “The new equipment has enabled our therapists to work much more efficiently. Patients can be transferred from the wheelchair to the lyra quickly and easily, which was important to us as we can then use a large part of the therapy time for the therapy itself and not for any tedious preparations,” says Dr Unrath. Anja Pohlschmidt sees another argument – motivation: “We are able to document each patient’s training seamlessly. Since starting to work with the lyra, improvements in patient performance can therefore be proven to doctors and health insurance companies. And not only can we as therapists see the patients’ progress, but it is also there in black and white for the patients themselves. For many, that’s a major motivation to become even better!”

Schlossklinik Bad Buchau

The Schlossklinik in Bad Buchau is part of the “Gesundheitszentrum Federsee” (Federsee Health Centre) brand. This also includes the Federseeklinik, Adelindis Thermal Spa and “Gesundheits-Bad Buchau” Spa Hotel with spa centre and restaurant.

Further information is available online at www.gzf.de.

Jakob Tiebel