GovState students first in U.S. to engage with Strolll AR technology

By Sarah Shoaf, Staff Writer

As some of the first students in the United States to interact with Strolll AR technology, Governors State University’s (GovState) Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy students recently packed Sherman Hall, brimming with anticipation.

From finding puzzle pieces to mole patrol, the Strolll technology combines a patient’s environment with games and activities to get them moving, aiding movement therapy for people with neurological disorders, like Parkinson’s Disease.

“This technology is truly one of a kind and it is fascinating to see the parallels from what we already perform in the clinic with equipment we have on hand and how significantly different the immediate improvements are,” said Kayla Callahan, a third-year Physical Therapy student who worked with the technology during her third clinical experience at Next Steps in Willow Springs, Illinois. 

As a specialty neurological outpatient clinic, Next Steps treats patients with complex neurological diagnoses like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and strokes. Next Steps was the first clinic in the United States to implement the Strolll technology into their facility, using it to help patients with standing and walking, as well as building core stability and trunk control, which is key for individuals who rely on a wheel chair for moving around.

During her eight weeks at Next Steps, Kayla noticed that the technology helped patients build confidence with their abilities, allowing them to return to working with real-life, physical hurdles, so they can better navigate physical obstacles they might face at home and in their community.

“Patients are typically more fearful when completing the hurdle exercise as they are afraid of tripping over the hurdle – with Strolll, patients have fearlessly taken leaps and bounds, literally, over these virtual blocks,” said Kayla.

For those well-versed in the field of physical and occupational therapy, this technology opens doors for clinicians, said Assistant Professor and Board Certified Neurological Clinical Specialist Maryleen Jones. 

“This technology allows the clinician to provide a higher level of intensity with multimodal cues to enhance the patient’s movement patterns and minimize impairments, which we would then hope to aid the client to improve their quality of life,” said Jones.

It also offers new opportunities for those studying to become therapists, providing new modes of treatment beyond what they’re learning about in textbooks.

“The students are the ones who will be handed the preverbal baton and how they use this technology will lead to advancements in the field, but if they do not gain exposure to this type of technology, then it remains somewhat intangible,” said Jones.

For Kayla, who recently accepted a job offer to work as a full-time physical therapist in a general outpatient clinic, the benefits of working with this AR technology are already visible.

“By using the augmented reality system, patients could enjoy their treatment sessions while recognizing their areas needing improvement – specifically with gait – when walking without the device and could do so without feeling frustrated,” said Kayla.

This was true for a patient who survived a stroke and was experiencing deficits in her left shoulder, requiring an electronic exoskeleton device to help with normal arm swing while walking.

“With the first use of Strolll, she did not require verbal or tactile cues and was able to walk continuously without taking breaks to reset herself as she was walking with a normal reciprocal pattern,” said Kayla, who noted the patient was much happier with her session when not hyperfixating on areas where she was lacking.

After seeing a clinic weave a new device into their treatment offerings, Kayla is eager to see what’s next as she works toward earning her certification to treat patients with vestibular impairments and concussions.

“It is an incredible up and coming piece of equipment for therapeutic settings and I am excited to see how we can use it to further enhance its impact in people’s lives,” she said.

Click here to watch a video from Strolll’s visit to GovState.