Bioness Helps Girl Walk

It was case of the wrong place, the wrong time. A young Evansville woman met with a wet road - a turn at an intersection - and a telephone pole. She broke her neck in the accident and suffered microscopic brain tearing so severe, she fell into a coma. Doctors didnt know when she might wake up, or if shed ever walk again. Tonight, Amrhest Clark says her recovery was a case of the right place, right time because of a little electrical stimulation device called Bioness l-300. Amrest Clark doesnt remember north Kentucky Avenue & Tulip. She doesnt remember the scene. She doesnt even remember going to work that day. She only knows what others have told her about November 25th of last year. The 22 year old says she was buckled-in when her car hydroplaned and struck a pole. The impact caused sheering in her brain and broke a vertebrae. Amrhest lay in a coma for one month. With a brace to secure her neck rehabilitative therapists coaxed Amrhest to take a couple of steps. She could only walk on the tips of her toes. So therapists used casts to correct her feet and then tried something else to teach her to walk again. An electrical stimulation therapy with a device called Bioness l-300. A sensor under the heal sent an electrical current to the receivers on her calve with every step. The electrical current forced Amrhests foot to mimic an ordinary step. If there ever were a magic bullet, this was it for Amrhest. She only needed the therapy for a week. The twenty two year old is now in vocal therapy working on a louder voice. And she still hasnt climbed behind the wheel of a car. Everything will come, one step at a time. The Bioness device is particularly useful for stroke victims too, helping them recover from drop-foot.