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| Pamela Hsieh StrokedUP |
Yesterday I mentioned I’d introduce you to a new tool I’ve been using to rewire the connections into my left hand.I came across it online one day, randomly, and because I totally saw its potential value, immediately requested more information. It’s called the Music Glove, and it’s a device created by Flint Rehabilitation which combines game play with progress tracking, challenge setting, and technology to help stroke survivors regain dexterity and speed in their affected hands.
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| (The Music Glove is available in different sizes for both left and right hands.) |
My Music Glove came in this past week, so I’ve only used it a small number of times, but I already feel the benefits.
How it works
The Music Glove is worn on the affected hand (the minimum requirement in order to use the device is the ability to touch each finger to the thumb on that hand) and hooked up to a tablet (which I was impressed was provided with the device! I totally thought I would have to play it on my computer). The tablet contains preloaded Music Glove software, which is a video game very similar to Nintendo’s Guitar Hero — a song plays, and the object is to touch the corresponding fingers to your thumb, on time. The software tracks your progress over time.
Because it’s a game, the Music Glove uses the energy of play to motivate you to exercise. Being able to enjoy the process makes doing the therapy seem like self-trickery, which I like a lot. :-)
You can choose sessions of 15, 30, or 45 minutes, and there are three difficulty settings. (Anthony, of course, begged to play a song, so my progress tracker is probably a bit inaccurate. I’m keeping a short list of features I’d like to see in future updates of the software, for example, different user profiles, and I’ll suggest them next time I speak with the people at Flint.)
How I fared
Not gonna lie; there’s a bit of a learning curve. By nature of what it is, the Music Glove is designed to challenge!
The first time around, with the mode set to “easy,” results were pitiful. Fortunately, the game is different from a lot of the Nintendo games I’ve used in “Wiihabilitation,” in that its feedback is mostly neutral. Your performance with finger touches are measured with words like “early,” “slightly early,” “good,” “excellent,” and “slightly late.” (Occasionally, a “Perfect!” will pop up, but I can’t say I saw any of those on round one.)
I’ve been filming my Music Glove trials for you, but I still need to edit them before they’re released. You’ll get to see them as soon as possible!
What you can expect from this review
In case you’re wondering, I’m not being compensated by Flint to promote or review their device, so you can rest assured this is an honest, unbiased report. I’ve been doing 15-minute daily sessions, starting off, which are being recorded for my own reference. We’ll see if I end up enjoying it so much that I feel compelled to increase exercise time!
I’d like to have a weekly summary video (whether on YouTube or on the #STROKESCOPE on Periscope) on Sundays so you can keep me accountable to my Music Gloving. As I get nearer to the end of my trial period with the device, I’ll have Anthony use his math prowess to analyze my progress for you.
In the meantime, you can check out this quick news video footage of the Music Glove that I found on YouTube for ya:
Standard YouTube License @ CBS New York
If anything else supercool happens, I’ll be sure to let you know!
Could you or someone you know use a device like Music Glove? Be sure to share this and future posts in the review series to those you think could use the information. (By the way, they are available for therapy clinics to adapt into their repertoire as well.)
Do you have any questions about the Glove or affected hand rehab? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments section!
To our healing,
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