I have been having fun with the new WiTouch PRO lately! We started using the device in our outpatient PT clinic a few weeks ago. The attraction was the ease-of-use and of course the wireless aspect – no wires to worry about, nothing to get tangled in.
WiTouch PRO - OTC TENS
The device is not a replacement for the usual clinical units since the electrodes are integrated into the unit itself; the user only has to replace the gel pads from time to time, which is very practical when using the device at home. So we have been using a trial device in the clinic to ‘test’ whether a patient would be appropriate for it and if so, recommend the patient buy it for their own use at home. Several patients have gone home with one in the last 2 weeks. I’ll share details on two of them since the results were quite remarkable.
A Case Study
This patient is a 93-year-old lady with a compression fracture of T12 a few months ago. She has no more pain at the fracture site itself but has a lot of pain in the low back and difficulty walking as a result of the significant forward bended posture. The muscles are weak and not firing properly because of this dynamic. The first few treatment sessions focused on decreasing the pain and improving circulation in the back, to hopefully be able to get her to engage in some meaningful exercise therapy, but progress was almost non-existent. We applied the WiTouch PRO on the 4th session to see if wearing it would make a difference. Did it ever! She managed to straighten up much better, she said that she felt much less pain almost immediately and was able to participate in exercises that were impossible before. It was so obvious to her and her husband that they decided to buy a unit from the front office right there and then so they could use the unit at home several times per day. I’ll see what carry-over we will have when I see her next week and will report back in my next blog post.
Low-profile wireless TENS
The unique aspect of WiTouch PRO that makes it so suitable for this kind of scenario is that it is low-profile and totally self-contained. All that needs to be done to get it going is to turn it on, apply it to the skin, and increase the intensity with the control button on the unit. After that, it executes the standard program (a proprietary program incorporating both high and low-frequency TENS) for 30 minutes. I was working with the patient in the gym area with the device running without any wires or stimulators to worry about. Very convenient.
The intensity can also be controlled via an app on a smartphone connected to the WiTouch PRO via Bluetooth. I mentioned this to my patient and she laughed. “I’m not smart enough for a smartphone,” she said. “I only have a flip-up phone.” Oh, well…
I’ll describe the second patient in my next blog post. Stay tuned.
Yorick Wijting, PT, DPT (www.specialistpt.com) received his degree in Physical Therapy in the Netherlands and later his DPT at the University of St. Augustine in Florida. He has practiced physical therapy in various care settings across Europe, South Africa and the United States. He has extensive training and practical experience in electrotherapy and teaches nationally and internationally to medical professionals on its therapeutic use. He is passionate about helping clinicians discover how technology can enhance their efficiency and treatment outcomes.