Member Article

New machine hailed a success in helping elderly patients become more mobile.

82 year old RK Virmani from London suffers from chronic renal failure, bilateral foot drop and osteoarthritis in his hips and knees. His mobility and quality of life is severely impacted as he has to use a wheelchair and is unable to exercise. He is cared for at home by his family.

However, things have changed in the last few months and Virmani is now more mobile thanks in part to a medical machine called the TESLAFormer. It works by providing pulsed magnetic fields which contract the muscles through its effect on their motor nerves on target areas like the abdomen or the thighs. It has been scientifically found that the technology of functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) can result in increased muscle mass after multiple treatments on the same target location. A 2017 research paper supports the use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) devices as appropriate therapy for patients who have mobility issues.

“There is moderate to strong evidence that NMES is effective as a treatment for some UE and LE problems post-stroke, for weakness post-ACL repair and total knee replacement, for muscle weakness in knee OA, and for debilitation and weakness after critical illnesses.”

Virmani’s daughter GMC registered Dr. Surbhi Virmani sees patients from her Harley Street Clinic, “I use the machine mainly on patients who want body toning/strengthening treatments. I trialled the portable machine on my father as we were at a loss at what else to do for him. The machine works by contracting his muscles to 100% of their strength without him losing balance or straining his joints through conventional exercise. After just five sessions I noticed a dramatic change in his mobility. Prior to using the machine he was unable to walk 10 steps with or without a walking frame. Now he can walk small steps unaided in short bursts with a level of stability and is much more confident walking with his frame.”

Dr Virmani uses the portable machine on her father’s abdomen and core for 30 minutes each, three times a week and once a week on his inner and outer thighs for 30 minutes each. She says “Many elderly patients suffer with comorbidities which affect their joints and/or sense of balance therefore, some will be confined to wheelchairs. I believe the TESLAFormer can help as part of their rehabilitation physiotherapy. It may give them a better quality of life and help them with their confidence, as well as general health.”

Dr Virmani and her mother are her fathers primary carers. “It has made my mother so much happier to see her husband more able and with better balance. Although his serious medical conditions aren’t going away, being able to move around has changed his outlook.”

BeautyForm Medical UK are the UK suppliers for the TESLAFormer machine. They are a family run British/Turkish business with over 20 years experience in the medical aesthetics industry. The Managing Director Erkan Gursoy says that they take pride in their expertise when it comes to supplying these machines to medical professionals. “The TESLAFormer machine is graded medical CE class 2 and has undergone rigorous testing. The beauty of it is that it can help people with many complaints. By stimulating and strengthening muscles in this non-invasive way it enables patients to lead a happier healthier hopefully longer life.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lucy Hood .