Give him a hand

Continuing my two-day streak of checking the Daily Telegraph, I found another story that seemed blog-worthy. Now when you hear that old joke about a doctor telling the patient he can play piano or the violin again, you can completely ruin the joke and say, "Actually, science suggests that he can!" Take that, joke tellers of the world.

Dorian Cox, the lead guitar player for the five-piece British indie rock band, The Long Blondes, suffered a stroke in June at the tender age of 27 and is paralyzed on the right side of his body. [Sadly, the band decided to call it quits because, as Cox said on the band's site, "unfortunately I do not know when / if I will be well enough to play guitar again."]SaeboFlex

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though - Cox is undergoing neurological physiotherapy with a device called a SaeboFlex.

The SaeboFlex, according to the Web site, allows neurologically impaired individuals the ability to incorporate their hand functionally in therapy and at home by supporting the weakened wrist, hand and fingers. It's a non-electrically based, mechanical glove.

The SaeboFlex positions the wrist and fingers into extension in preparation for functional activities, the site says. The user is able to grasp an object by voluntarily flexing his or her fingers. The extention spring system assists in re-opening the hand to release the object.

Cox said the device is like a gym for his hand and it is helping him tremendously.

"I know things might never be the same again and nobody can give me a definite answer about whether I'll play guitar again but I'm getting back on track with their help."

Sarah Daniel of PhysioFunction in York, one of the few places in Britain to offer the Saeboflex training program, said: "The outcome can bring dramatic results for some patients who can now perform tasks like holding a bottle to their mouth for the first time in years."

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