E-stim or Seaboflex?

[socialwork555]

so my OT thinks that I have plateaud out, but she thinks that maybe I should go somewhere that has the Seoboflex. She's going to get a rep out to see if it might work for me, and plus, their staff can get a demonstration. A lot of OTs are trained in this splint that helps people with high tone, so I think that's a good sign. I almost always have my hand at least partially closed, so this splint will hold my hand open. I can close my fist to hold things. It seems my OT thinks I should be able to go further with this splint.

 

The other thing is that I am doing e-stim for my hand to try to activate the muscles to open my hand. How often can you do this with you home unit? I've been using the one at PT but it's almost over. She's going to teach me how to use my unit. I don't have a tens unit, I have to one for neuromuscular reeducation, the stronger one. Have you have success? We haven't been able to get my hand to open, but with e-stim it does.

 

I want sooo much to get my hand back it pains me.

[fking]

I got a tens unit it works good for me when I was using it regular 5 years ago. The only thing is those little disks only stick to skin a few times then need replacing. One handed operation is not easy but I did it when my wife wasn't available to help me use it.

 

Good luck in having your hand to stay open. Those marbles in the Chinese checker game board are great for finger exercises picking them up and down without them flying all over the table or floor. Picking up the domino's is great too for more hand and finger movement exercise. I think that would be a good start and cheaper to use in working with your hand to stay open.

Fred!

[Ethyl17]

Christian: Fred makes a great point. Bruce uses Estim twice daily. On the thigh is is 15 minutes at 36. His shoulder is twice a day, for one half hour each at 22. The trick with the Estim is for the therapist to tell you what muscles he/she is targeting and placement of those pads is important. Since you have no one to help you, make a drawing of your areas working on and X the placement of the two pads on those drawings, so that you can get proper placement. With Bruce's thigh, when the Estim is started I am feeling movement just about his knee cap; with the arm, just at the shoulder. If I do not feel movement, I reposition the pads. If I still do not feel movement, we up the number.

 

Date your pads when you open them. As they wear, moisten them a bit with some water. It will extend the life of them. I just changed Bruce's out today. They lasted 3 months. This is pushing it, I know, but they are expensive.

 

Bruce's Physiatrist just upped his Baclofen oral dosing, so all of this will change. I am awaiting his Medicare to kick in in September, and reapply for Botox. At that point, either way, will schedule some PT-OT, just to see where we are at and what adjustments have to be made. Debbie

[dreinke]

so my OT thinks that I have plateaud out,

Plateau is not a term that the medical staff should use, it is only a term for the insurance to cut you off.

You can check this article from 2006, Since then no medical person should be using the term.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16777768

I would work on passively flexing/unflexing your affected hand with your good hand. Your OT should know about passive movement helping recovery.

Dean

[Julie Craig]

I have used both. The Saebo is NOT a brace that you wear all day. It is cumbersome and delicate to adjust to your fingertips. It is custom fit for you to wear for an hour or two at a time to ...wellllllllll???????????? I used it w/ a OT therapist who had me picking up the Saebo balls for hours a day. Then when my fingers got tired...more like exhausted I'd have about 10-20 minutes of "down"-time where i could pick uup quarters sitting in rice or little wood blocks. After 3 weeks of working with the Saebo splint for 7 hours a day 5 days a week.............................I was sick of picking up balls and did not see any relevance or improvement to my hand. Absolutely loved my therapist--he was great.but the SAEBO is no "solution" to your dilemma , in my opinionb. Wish you the best.....maybe it'll work for you? The saebo is verrry expensive + the therapy is toooooooooo... I went into debt for $5,000 to do it...not wise. I was looking for that magic fairy dust.....Saebo wasn't "it" no fairy dust there..stim thingies are about same. Good Luck...let ME know if you find any fairy dust, huh? :Clap-Hands: :forgive_me?: :laughbounce: :blah_blah:

[heidiw921]

I have used both. The Saebo is NOT a brace that you wear all day. It is cumbersome and delicate to adjust to your fingertips. It is custom fit for you to wear for an hour or two at a time to ...wellllllllll???????????? I used it w/ a OT therapist who had me picking up the Saebo balls for hours a day. Then when my fingers got tired...more like exhausted I'd have about 10-20 minutes of "down"-time where i could pick uup quarters sitting in rice or little wood blocks. After 3 weeks of working with the Saebo splint for 7 hours a day 5 days a week.............................I was sick of picking up balls and did not see any relevance or improvement to my hand. Absolutely loved my therapist--he was great.but the SAEBO is no "solution" to your dilemma , in my opinionb. Wish you the best.....maybe it'll work for you? The saebo is verrry expensive + the therapy is toooooooooo... I went into debt for $5,000 to do it...not wise. I was looking for that magic fairy dust.....Saebo wasn't "it" no fairy dust there..stim thingies are about same. Good Luck...let ME know if you find any fairy dust, huh? :Clap-Hands: :forgive_me?: :laughbounce: :blah_blah:

i, too, have used both the bioness, e-stim and saeboflex and think the bioness estim was a waste of money and i just rented it for 6 months.the saebo, on the other hand[no pun intended] after a year of working with the device on a daily basis, is showing great promise-got angry at the husband the other day and for the first time in 5 years, was able to give him the finger. the people at saebo are wonderfuland their motto is"NO PLATEA IN SIGHT". yea, picking up those stupid poof balls is boring but a good therapist will vary the exercies so you don't feel its a waste of time.in addition to the custom-made saeboflex orthosis, i also got their saebo stretch which is a brace to wear to assist in keeping the hand open-that is a great brace comared to others i've tried but not if you have to fly. you'll set off every alarm at every airport!because of the metal plates in the thing.no, its not the magic fairy dust but one of the only things that works with alot of hard work on the survivor's part! insurance picked up the cost of the saebo flex which comes to about $2100 good luck

[Pwilson18]

HI I USED THE E STEM ON MY RIGHT SIDE OF MY FACE TO HELP ME SMILE, LAUGH. IT WORKED FOR ME. I THINK I HAD IT 3X A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. THE SPEECH THERAPIST PUT IT ON MY NERVES ON MY FACE. PATTY

[beanna]

Hi,

I had e atim on my hand in ot--and it helped. I no longer have ot ( the plateau thing) but My therapist helped me know where to position the electrodes, the strength to use and I do estim at home now. A local medical company got the unit for me, though you can order yourself with a dr.'s prescription, and they rent it to me for 40.00 a month, which my insurance pays. My insurance also pays for a new set of electrodes every month. It does help, and I can open my hand, but my fine motor skillas are not there. I'm not giving up yet, though. might try a bioness or saebo after an evaluation. Had some e stim on my face from a therapist, and it helped a bunch. Bev

[socialwork555]

Thanks everyone. It seems everyone had different results with different things. It turns out they have the bioness so they are going to try that and some different things that my old OT didn't know about. My old OT is only2 years out of school. My new OT has 20 years. The estim is about a week into it and I'm getting great wrist extension.

[fking]

Hey,

 

That's great and I hope you can began to see the benefits real soon cause we all want to get better however we can. Maybe the more experience will pay off big time in this OT knowing what to do!

Fred!

[socialwork555]

I've seen major improvent in my tone from estim. And I have been using Saebo for two or three months and I can finally wiggle a couple fingers! When I wake up and my body's relaxed I can straighten out my hand. Slow improvements. But steady!

[Jerrolyn]

Good for you Christine! I'm going to look into getting the Saebo for my mom. She is just finishing at home care. Can I ask you if your insurance paid for the Saebo? My parents insurance didn't even pay for the estim but my sisters and I chipped in and bought it for her. She is able to use it on her hand/arm everyday by herself and we are able to use it on her foot/leg.