December 2024

REHABILITATION

NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE JOINS INNOVATIVE STROKE REHABILITATION STUDY

Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital is participating in a pioneering phase IIb randomized clinical trial: Progressive Abduction Loading Therapy (PRALINE).
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The study extends prior intervention work from Mike Ellis, PT, DPT, director of Translational Rehabilitation Research at Northwestern Medicine, to clinical practice as an augmentative therapy. Ellis is the PI of the NIH grant supporting the study.

Inpatient rehabilitation clinical teams at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab are conducting the study, and they aim to optimize arm recovery in patients with significant stroke-related arm movement impairments. The study uses mechatronic devices to precisely evaluate and target the most detrimental impairment affecting reaching movements. Patients complete reaching exercises in the device while their therapist targets and progresses their movement impairments, unlike traditional exercise therapies.

“This collaboration underscores Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital’s commitment to advancing medical research and improving patient outcomes through innovative treatments and therapies,” says Sonia Sheth, MD, medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Stroke Rehabilitation Program at Marianjoy.

“This work is a great example of the new partnership between Rehabilitation Services across the Northwestern Memorial Healthcare system and the Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,” says Sue Brady, DHEd, VP of Operations at Marianjoy.

The study was supported by grant R01 HD096071 from the National Institutes of Health.

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