ICU Early Mobility: Glynn's Recovery

[@mahams20]

Hi there. I've probably watched your videos several times each week... my dad is 58 and he contracted a severe case of Covid-19 in March. He left the ICU in May after 31+ days on a ventilator, completely unable to move anything except shake his head yes/no. He spent 3 months in a physical therapy center, and they got him to move a bit more (his arms move freely up to elbows, legs can move when there's no gravity involved, and he can shift positions in the bed easier now) However, whilst he was in rehab, they did not use a single machine on him the entire time. He's still severely weak and can't walk. He desperately wants to get back to his baseline, and we desperately want to help, but not sure how. They did an MRI of his brain and spine, all is clear, and he was diagnosed with deconditioning/critical illness myopathy. We do exercises with him daily (we bought him a leg pedaling machine, and in 2 weeks he went from doing 1 set of 20 with our help, to 2 sets of 150 on his own!! We're hoping it will help him gain back strength to walk). If you all have any advice for me, it would mean the absolute world and more. I've spent hours researching how to help him, and keep coming back to your team's videos because I can't see much other evidence of physical therapy for critical illness weakness. (Specifically, I always watch Phyllis and the ICU Cowboy's videos for motivation! And Hito, the most recent Covid-19 case) I feel lost and want to help him, but can't figure out what would be best for him. Thanks so much.

[@themovao]

Hi Mahams20! Just wanted to let you know that your comments about your father struck a chord with me when you posted and it began a 2 year brainstorming process on how I could develop a closed-chain strengthening HOME device. Requirements : Affordable less than $300, available on Amazon in 2 days, portable/lightweight, and offer the progressive resistance up to 50 pounds to allow severely weak muscles to adapt and ramp up gradually to supporting full body weight. It's great to finally tell you that the design is completed and there will be more to announce in the coming months. It's called the MOVAO MINI. Thanks again for your support and I hope your dad is back to independence!