Author: Sherry Farney
At the end of an ordinary January day on the job, Vance Corcoran’s life took an unexpected, devastating turn. The 55-year-old Fenton man suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body.
“I was lifting weights at Lake Fenton High School where I am a varsity wrestling coach,” said Vance. “Thankfully I had a buddy with me who noticed I didn’t look right after we left to get in our cars to go home. I was having a hard time pressing my key fob to unlock my car and my friend decided to call 911.”
To help him regain movement and improve his brain activity after the stroke, Vance started physical and occupational therapy at the McLaren Flint Neurologic Rehabilitation Institute.
“Physical therapy and occupational therapy have been an amazing experience for me,” said Vance.
New technology offered at the McLaren Flint Neurologic and Rehabilitation Institute is having a major impact on Vance’s recovery. The Solo-Step Track System is designed for patients, like Vance, who are at high risk for falls due to balance, walking, or strength issues.
“I have a great team that works with me five days a week,” said Vance. The Solo-Step equipment has given me the confidence to move on my own without having to be held onto. I’m not worried about falling. I feel safe getting my steps and balance back without the fear of hurting myself.”
The Solo-Step System consists of a heavy-duty extruded aluminum track and users wear a harness that attaches to a 360-degree swivel lanyard that connects to a high-performance trolley. The trolley inserts into the track allowing patients to move along the track as needed. The system increases safety and provides confidence, allowing the patient to focus on their rehab instead of the fear of falling.
“The Solo-Step system revolutionizes walking and balance training by providing a safe and controlled environment with advanced safety features,” said Ahmed Baig, Director of Outpatient Physical Therapy at McLaren Flint. “This allows therapists to engage in personalized and interactive therapy experiences, eliminating the constant need for manual assistance and enabling them to focus on providing individualized attention to maximize the effectiveness of sessions.”
The system benefits patients by enhancing their therapy experience.
“When using the Solo-Step system, I can have the patient complete more challenging exercises that I would not have tried completing as a solo therapist,” said Connie Zuba, physical therapist and board-certified neurologic clinical specialist at McLaren Flint Neurologic Rehabilitation Institute. “With the increased challenge, patients can demonstrate improvements in balance and mobility more quickly. The patients also report having more fun with exercise since we can increase the variety of exercises, we can safely complete with the system.”
In March, Vance set a goal to be walking with a cane by his birthday in May. He achieved that goal and is constantly progressing.
“Using the Solo Step provides an extra level of safety for patients during treatment,” said Connie. “It allows me to challenge the patient and progress exercises while limiting the patient's risk of falls. It also allows the patients to learn to correct their balance without the assistance of a therapist.”
While Vance hopes to one day be able to get back to fishing, golfing, and hunting-he is taking it one day at a time.
“You have to be positive when you go through things like this if you want to get better,” said Vance. “I have the mentality that it is tough but isn’t the end of the world. You can roll with it and do everything necessary to try and get back to where you used to be, or you can lay in bed and feel sorry for yourself. I would rather do everything I can to improve things. I use the same elements I would when coaching others to encourage myself to keep going.”
To learn more about McLaren Flint’s neurologic rehabilitation institute services, click here.