Rehab upgrade
Hospital shows off state-of-art equipment
By BOB DARDEN
Staff Writer The Greenwood Commonwealth
Three new machines have been making the patients at Greenwood Leflore Hospital’s Physical Therapy Outpatient Rehab Center feel a lot better.
The Vectra Genisys therapy machines, each about the size of a golf bag, were put on display Tuesday.
“We identified a need and made this more state-of-the-art — being able to do so much more so much faster,” said Christine Hemphill, director of the Greenwood Leflore Hospital Foundation.
The machines have been treating both in-patients and out-patients since late May. The foundation set a goal of raising $21,000 for the equipment and ended up raising $23,000, Hemphill said.
She said the foundation’s Pillars of Health donors, which each donated $100 or more for the cause, made it all possible.
Brian Zangri, director of occupational therapy at the center, said the machines have been a great benefit.
“Basically, it’s the equivalent of three to five machines. It’s all in one system. We just go laser, which basically speeds up the healing process,” he said.
In addition to “cold laser,” the machines also feature ultrasound for aiding in the healing of bruises, he said.
The machines are capable of producing several types of electrical stimulation, Zangri said.
He demonstrated three of the settings Tuesday.
One, which Zangri described as a “Russian Stim,” uses high voltage to elicit a muscle contraction, he said. “Your arm will bend if you want it to or not,” he said.
Zangri explained that the Russian Stim setting was originally perfected by being used on Russian athletes as part of their strength training regimen.
When Mark Hutson, chief information officer of the hospital, was hooked up to the machine, he was surprised by the intensity of the shock.
“That hurts,” he said jokingly.
In the Bio-Feedback mode, the machine measures individual muscle contractions in milliamps. The setting allows people to see how much progress they are making in their treatment.
The final machine was set for “interfrential stimulation,” which Zangri described as a “feel-good modality.” That setting is helpful in providing temporary relief of backaches and helps relax the muscles, he said.
Larry Griggs, vice president of operations with Greenwood Utilities, was intrigued by the machines’ ability to relieve back pain. Being able to massage the muscle in a hard-to-reach area is a real relief, he said.
“I could feel it actually working. I don’t know if I stayed on it long enough,” he said.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
