Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  Does Insurance pay for AutoMove Therapy?
A:  YES. Most Insurance companies pay. Please contact us for details.

Q:  Do I need a prescription?
A:  YES. This is a FDA requirement. Send us a copy of a physicians prescription.
      It should say AutoMove and not Muscle-stim or Bio feed-back.

Q:  Can the AutoMove be used at home?
A:  YES. The AutoMove is especially suited for home use. The device is self-adjusting,
      so there should be no adjustments necessary. In some cases a longer rest-period is
      desirable to allow for a longer time to relax.

Q:  My physician/therapist tells me that I have reached a "plateau" and that I
      should not expect more improvement.
A:  All patients in the clinical studies were more than six months post-stroke. One clinical
      study concludes that there is no relationship between the results and the time since the
      stroke.

Q:  My stroke was several years ago. Will the AutoMove work for me?
A:  Clinical research shows that there is no relationship between the time since the stroke
      and results.

Q: Is this like a Tens unit?
A:  NO. TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) is only electrical stimulation
      used for pain relief. TENS has no effect what so ever on stroke recovery.

Q:  Is this like regular muscle stimulation?
A:  NO, the stimulation is only applied WHEN the patient comes up with a REAL attempt
      to move the muscle and only then, the stimulation is applied for typically five seconds.
      There is no muscle training involved with this little stimulation applied during 30 minutes,
      as it is merely a replacement for any other reward such as giving the patient a piece of
      candy or a sound, etc.
      It is found to be the most effective feedback, since the patient can see that he/she can
      actually make a difference and move the muscle - just by thinking about it. Some patients
      also benefit from the sensory feedback in addition to the visual.
      F.Y.I. - AM800 contains the most advanced and safest muscle stimulator worldwide.

Q:  Is this like regular biofeedback?
A:  NO, regular EMG (electromyography) may in some cases also have a very sensitive
      input, but for most other applications the input signals are filtered and averaged (RMS)
      so that the small changes do not affect a steady and clear reading for monitoring. For
      stroke survivors - some have nearly no EMG activity or a lot of muscle tone with high
      background "noise" - regular EMG/biofeedback will not stand a chance of detecting the
      changes that indicate a real attempt from the brain. The AutoMove measures peak values
      in the EMG and has a very fast input circuitry. Instead of averaging the input it does the
      opposite -looks for a pattern in the small changes that indicate a real attempt. A very
      effective demonstration of this is when a non-patient actually triggers the AutoMove
      just by thinking about it and imagining a movement.

Q:  I have a lot of muscle tone. Will it help?
A:  AutoMove therapy often reduces the muscle tone or spasms, mainly due to the muscle
      stimulation that is applied 20-50 times during the half hour session. You may call this a
      "side-effect".

Q:  When does AutoMove therapy not work?
A:  When a patient is not cognitively intact, confused, not able to concentrate on simple tasks
      or is simply not motivated (Note: sometimes other family members or friends more than
      the patient) - Since it is "brain exercise" it does not work without motivation and concentration.

 
Q:  Is it complicated to set up?
A:  No. The procedure for each 30-minutes session is:

• Put the three self-adhesive electrodes over the muscle (position not significant, as input is
  automatically adjusted continuously).
• Turn on the device and turn stimulation level up slowly for a comfortable contraction of
  the muscle.
• Think very hard about moving the fingers, wrist, shoulder, foot or whichever muscle is being worked on. Only when there is a real attemtp, will the muscle move for 5 seconds, and the
  display tells the patient to relax for 12 seconds (changeable). After relaxing, it returns to
  "Ready" and it is ready for the next attempt (relaxing is just as important as concentrating).
  This is how the entire 30 minutes are spent!

Q:  Are the electrodes attached to the head?
A:  NO. AutoMove therapy is teaching healthy parts of the brain to relearn the lost functionality.
      The signals are picked up on the skin over the muscles that are being attempted to move.
      E.g. on the lower forarm to increase wrist extension.

Q:  How often do I need to replace batteries?
A:  Four AA-batteries every 2-3 weeks at normal usage.

Q:  How often do I need to replace the electrodes?
A:  The electrodes that come with the unit are reusable, often 20-40 times. This kind of electrodes
      are best treated by adding 10-50 drops of tap water after each treatment and then being placed
      on the plastic pad.

Q:  What does the FDA say?
A:  The AutoMove was approved in 1997 and is the only device that has "Stroke Rehab" as an
      Indication for Use.