Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital on Flanders Road is among the first in the nation to offer an award-winning therapy that is helping stroke patients regain their ability to walk. The therapy is offered using a device called the Tibion Bionic Leg. The hospital is currently one of only four locations in the country to provide this device.

"A few years ago, we believed that whatever disabilities a patient had six to nine months after stroke were probably permanent," said Lynn Movsessian, director of rehabilitation at Whittier Westborough. "The Bionic Leg is changing that."

The Tibion Bionic Leg is a battery operated, robotic rehabilitation tool weighing only about 7 pounds. The exterior is made of black carbon fiber. Inside of the device are lithium ion batteries and powerful small motors. The aid is strapped around the weakened leg of a patient. It provides support and resistance that stroke survivors can use to re-learn how to stand up, walk and climb stairs without assistance.

According to the Tibion Web site, the Bionic Leg provides just enough support to a patient's stroke affected leg to enable the patient to use it synchronously with the unaffected one. The physical therapist regulates the amount of support the device provides the patient. As the patient improves his or her mobility, the amount of support is reduced.

Movsessian explained the Tibion Bionic Leg is not a prosthetic. The robotic device is worn only during therapy sessions where it helps patients to "rewire" the pathways between the brain and the affected leg. Therapists are finding that those pathways can be repaired in patients whose event occurred weeks or even years ago.

Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital acquired the Bionic Leg in August. "I am currently using it with six patients," Movsessian said. "Some of whom recently suffered a stroke, others who are several years out. One patient is four years post stroke."

In addition to stroke patients, others can benefit from the therapy. Movsessian explained that she has witnessed the Tibion Bionic Leg therapy work successfully with a woman who suffered with severe knee osteoarthritis and total knee replacement surgery.

"It gives people confidence that they can't buckle or fall down," she added.

Therapy typically includes two to three sessions a week, each lasting up to an hour. Patients report notable improvement after six to 10 weeks, though Movsessian added, "I can see improvements immediately."

Movsessian advises that interested patients be evaluated.

"The Bionic Leg is not for everyone," she cautioned. "Size can be an issue. It is currently designed to fit patients between 140 and 250 pounds. An evaluation is the best way to find out if this therapy can benefit a patient."

The success of the Tibion Bionic Leg was recently recognized by the medical industry. In June 2010, the aid won the Medical Design Excellence Awards competition, a program for the medical technology community.