People with paralysis or weakened limbs now have a higher chance of healing faster, thanks to Normah Medical Specialist Centre and the Social Security Organisation’s launch of the first robotic therapy service in Borneo.
Restoring Mobility
This is the first part of a three-part series on robotic therapy.
What would you do if the Almighty decided to take away your health one day? Have you ever thought about it?
Imagine that, from a fit and healthy person, in the blink of an eye, you become unable to walk, even a single step. Can you picture your feelings at that moment?
As the daughter of a patient with hemiplegia (one-sided muscle paralysis), I once asked my dad these questions.
Just imagining the story he told me made me feel sad and scared.
According to my dad, he suffered a stroke due to a blood clot in his brain. Fortunately, his coworkers rushed him to the hospital, where he was saved. I am deeply indebted to the doctors and nurses at Sarawak General Hospital for their unwavering dedication and compassionate care.
I have no idea how my dad or anyone else with that experience would have felt.
All I know is that you all deserve a standing ovation for your perseverance and determination in enduring extensive treatment and rehabilitation to recover.
My colleague at Suara Sarawak recently invited me to visit Normah Medical Specialist Centre (NMSC) in honour of its anniversary of utilising the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) robotic therapy for individuals with physical disabilities.
While I was there, I had some time to reflect: why wasn’t this therapy available when my dad was sick?
Nevertheless, I am sure that my dad is now enjoying his ideal life with his Father in Heaven, working at his dream job of selling goods out of a van — what I believe 90s kids would call “van pot pot” — and hiking in his spare time.
The first robotic therapy in Borneo
In case you missed it, NMSC is currently in its second year of pioneering robotic therapy developed by Cyberdyne.
Founded in September 2022, the centre was the first in East Malaysia to offer this rehabilitation robotic therapy, which has already transformed the lives of nearly 400 patients.
HAL robotic therapy, the world’s first wearable cyborg technology from Japan, has been instrumental in providing intensive rehabilitation for patients with physical challenges resulting from strokes, neurological conditions, musculoskeletal injuries, and spinal cord injuries.
The centre’s mission is very clear: to offer the highest standard of care and support for individuals striving to regain their mobility and independence.
NMSC, in a statement, noted that the HAL robotic therapy has significantly accelerated the rehabilitation process for many of their patients, enabling them to transition from being wheelchair-bound and in pain to becoming motivated, self-reliant individuals who can eventually return to work.
At NMSC, robotic therapy constitutes about 30 per cent of the overall treatment plan, with the remaining 70 per cent comprising conventional therapy.
This balanced approach ensures comprehensive care tailored to each patient’s specific needs and conditions.
“Since the introduction of robotic therapy, our centre has seen a remarkable increase in recovery rates and treatment capacity, effectively doubling the number of patients treated and sessions conducted compared to conventional methods alone.
“This advancement translates to faster recovery times, with some patients experiencing significant improvements within just two weeks to six months, compared to the six to 18 months typically required with conventional therapies,” it added.
Supporting this statement, NMSC Medical Executive President Dr Tan Sian Kong said that with robotic therapy, patients can see real-time progress and improvements, keeping them motivated and engaged in their rehabilitation programme.
“While conventional rehabilitation is effective, it can often take longer for patients to recover, which may lead to frustration and a lack of motivation.
“To address this issue, we wanted to find other ways to make the rehabilitation process more encouraging, effective, and enjoyable for our patients, leading us to explore the potential of robotic therapy,” he said.
Elaborating, Dr Tan said that NMSC is committed to expanding its Rehabilitation Department in the future to cater to more patients, acquire more equipment, and include a wider range of services and treatments.
“We understand that rehabilitation is a critical part of the healing process. That is why we want to ensure that our patients have access to the best possible care.
“With that, our team of highly skilled and certified therapists will continuously explore new and innovative treatments to improve patient recovery,” he added.
For your information, patients who are eligible for Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) benefits can access these robotic sessions without financial concerns, thanks to NMSC’s collaboration with PERKESO.
With a valid referral from your treating doctor and a successful application, patients will receive a Guarantee Letter from PERKESO, covering all associated costs.
HAL Robot Suit: The world’s first cyborg-type robot
PERKESO, in collaboration with Cyberdyne Inc. Japan, has successfully established the first Neuro-Robotics Rehabilitation and Cybernics Centre in Malaysia at the PERKESO Tun Razak Rehabilitation Centre in Melaka.
According to PERKESO’s rehabmalaysia.com website, the centre is equipped with the HAL Robot Suit, the latest neurorobotic technology from Cyberdyne Inc. Japan.
The HAL Robot Suit was invented by the chief executive officer of Cyberdyne Inc., Prof Dr Yoshiyuki Sankai, to assist people with paralysis or weakened limbs due to injuries or disorders of the central nervous system, such as spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases, in regaining the ability to walk again.
The robot suit improves, supports, and enhances the wearer’s limb mobility via cybernics technology that combines interactions between humans, machines, and information.
In a healthy body, each muscle receives signals from the brain and moves as strongly and quickly as intended.
However, injuries to the nervous system (brain and spinal cord) often disrupt signal transmission from the brain to the muscles, affecting movement generation, such as walking.
In such cases, brain signals sent to the muscles may leak to the skin’s surface as faint signals called bio-electric signals (BES).
Cyberdyne HAL Robot Suits are designed to detect these weak bio-electric signals through electrodes or detectors attached to the surface of the leg muscles and analyse the signals using the control system of the robot suit.
This means that even though the leg muscles cannot respond to the brain signals to walk, the robot suit can accelerate the learning process of the brain and muscles to promote leg movement again.
By consolidating various information, HAL recognises the range of motions that the wearer intends and assists the wearer’s intended motions by exerting greater power than he or she ordinarily exerts.
For your information, Malaysia is the fourth country in the world and the very first in the ASEAN region to offer Cyberdyne HAL services to its clients.
The Cyberdyne HAL rehabilitation programme involves therapy sessions lasting between 60 and 90 minutes a day, three to five days a week, for 12 weeks, depending on the condition and needs of each patient.
There are three types of Cyberdyne HAL rehabilitation treatments available at the centre: HAL Lower Limb Type, HAL Single Joint Type, and HAL Lumbar Type.
HAL Lower Limb Type is a robotic suit that helps clients regain their walking ability, while HAL Single Joint Type is used to strengthen the arm and knee joints.
Meanwhile, HAL Lumbar Type is designed to strengthen the lumbar muscles and enhance the ability to perform industrial activities, such as lifting loads.
All in all, the Cyberdyne HAL Robot Suit technology has a significant impact on patients, helping them return to work and contributing to the country’s development as well as the overall wellbeing of the population.
