WalkAide is manufactured and sold by Innovative Neurotronics Inc., a U.S. medical equipment maker. It is already used by thousands of people in the U.S. and Europe. The device, applied to the leg below the knee, electrically stimulates nerves timed to the user’s step cycle to help contract muscles impaired by nerve damage. Other devices use a pressure sensor on the heel to sense the walking cycle, which requires the use of shoes. WalkAide, however, uses a sensor embedded within the device itself, so it also may be used barefoot. Japan’s official guidelines for stroke treatment, issued in 2009, recommend this electrical stimulation therapy for patients with chronic stroke-related foot drop.
Japan is home to about three million stroke survivors. An average of 270,000 people suffer strokes each year in the country. More than half will experience some form of damage in the central nervous system of their upper or lower limbs. Such damage may also be caused by multiple sclerosis, incomplete spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury or cerebral palsy, etc. Walking, one of the most important physical functions of daily life, may be significantly impaired by foot drop due to damage to the central nervous system. Traditionally, foot drop has been treated with ankle-foot orthotics, but these bracing devices do not allow natural walking and become a physical burden for the user.
The launch of WalkAide by Teijin Pharma, a total healthcare provider active in pharmaceuticals and home healthcare, reflects the company’s increasing commitment to patient quality of life. Based on demand going forward, the company expects to expand its WalkAide rental service to include other facilities, such as nursing homes, and home rentals.
Teijin Pharma is working through academic and government channels to ensure that the WalkAide is covered under Japan’s public insurance system and is classified as an assistive device under the Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act.
About the Teijin Group
Teijin (TSE 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the areas of sustainable transportation, information and electronics, safety and protection, environment and energy, and healthcare. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibers such as aramid, carbon fibers & composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibers, products converting and IT. The group has some 150 companies and around 17,000 employees spread out over 20 countries worldwide. It posted consolidated sales of JPY 854.4 billion (USD 9.1 billion) and total assets of JPY 762.1 billion (USD 8.1 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012. Please visit www.teijin.com.
Press Contact
Rie Mashiba
Corporate Communications
Teijin Limited
+81 3 3506 4055
pr@teijin.co.jp
