Enabling More Patient-Initiated, Active Movement

Dr. Avi Nativ:

    While doing his doctoral and post-doctoral research work in Kinesiology (the science of human movement) at the University of Waterloo, Dr. Nativ's focus was on brain organization, plasticity and rehabilitation. He was intrigued with scientific research findings that indicated the remarkable capacity of the brain to adapt after injury, and envisioned how such plastic changes could be encouraged through inventive ways of enabling more patient-initiated, active movement rather than the more conventional passive therapy approaches.

Research confirms that to regain function after stroke, rehabilitation therapy needs to be functional, intensive, and that the person needs to be mentally engaged in the activity. Range of motion  exercises or passive exercises, where the therapist moves the body part for you may keep your range of motion, but most likely it won’t  help you to regain functional use.

Dr. Nativ has focused on providing evidence based therapy — making therapy:

• fun so people are mentally engaged,
• functional – doing real activities like walking, playing soccer, ...,
• intensive – doing a lot of the planned therapeutic activity.

See as well:

• Choosing a Rehabilitation Provider
• Neurogym
• Neurogym Technologies