iRecover

What is it about?

Stroke is a significant neurological problem, with over fifteen million cases each year; however, because of costs, insurance companies limit numbers of post-emergency therapy sessions that a stroke patient may receive. The purpose of this app is to provide an inexpensive, user-friendly iPhone app to extend post-stroke rehabilitation. This app tracks patient movement using the accelerometer and gyroscope on an iPhone every 1/60th of a second to provide visual and vibrotactile biofeedback while patients play a user-friendly game and perform video-guided exercises to practice functional arm movements. The app includes a calendar that notifies patients when to start exercises and indicates which exercises to perform. Preliminary evaluation by trained therapists at Sister Kenny Research Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, indicates there are no known physical risks involved in using the iPhone app as a rehabilitation tool and deemed it ready for clinical testing. The app is conducive and convenient for mobile use, particularly for patients for whom travel is an issue and in situations where medical care costs are prohibitive.