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Save on
Certification Courses before the year is over |
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The IM Certification Course
cost will be going up starting January 1, 2008. Hurry
and register today to save. |
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Join us for a one-day workshop leading to full
Interactive Metronome (IM) Certification. |
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Date |
Location |
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11/17 |
Birmingham, AL |
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12/1 |
Atlanta,
GA |
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12/1 |
Portland,
OR |
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12/8 |
Wichita,
KS |
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12/8 |
Houston,
TX |
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12/15 |
Boston,
MA |
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12/15 |
Long
Beach, CA |
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1/5 |
Washington, DC |
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1/5 |
Sacramento, CA |
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1/12 |
Tampa, FL |
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1/12 |
Philadelphia, PA |
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1/12 |
Austin,
TX |
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1/19 |
Raleigh,
NC |
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1/19 |
Salt Lake
City, UT |
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1/26 |
Albany,
NY |
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1/26 |
Des
Moines, IA |
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2/2 |
Montgomery, AL |
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2/2 |
Albuquerque, NM |
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2/9 |
Louisville, KY |
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2/16 |
Baltimore, MD |
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2/16 |
Dallas,
TX |
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2/16 |
Virginia
Beach, VA |
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2/23 |
St.
Louis, MO |
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2/23 |
Las
Vegas, NV |
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2/23 |
Chattanooga, TN |
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3/1 |
Milwaukee, WI |
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3/1 |
New York
City, NY |
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3/8 |
Detroit,
MI |
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3/8 |
Boise, ID |
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3/8 |
Little
Rock, AR |
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3/15 |
Cleveland, OH |
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3/15 |
Spokane,
WA |
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3/29 |
San
Francisco, CA |
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3/29 |
Kansas
City, KS |
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The cost of the course
is $200 (individual) or $180 (group of 2 or more)
*Don't see a course
in your area?
Click here to e-mail a Private Course
request (Please include 3 course dates you are
interested in.
*Note:
Courses must be scheduled at least 45 days in
advance) or call 877-994-6776 x230 (US Only) or
954-385-4660 x230
Click here to register today!
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IM-HOME for the
Holidays |
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The holidays are just around
the corner, so give the gift of IM-HOME to your
patients, friends and family. See the pricing info
below. |
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IM-HOME is an extension of
your clinical services into the home. Use this tool to
increase your services and build your patient volume.
IM-HOME is fun, interactive & challenging.
IM-HOME Improves:
IM-HOME is based on the same principles of the
Interactive Metronome, which has been used for years to
help children & adults improve neurological & motor
function.
We have 3 different
purchasing options (Click
here to compare the models):
Click each hyperlink for
the Ordering Packet
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Direct to Consumer- $595
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Provider Resale- $535 ea. for ≥5,
$505 ea. for ≥10, $475 ea. ≤11
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Rental thru Provider-
$1,295
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IM Is Now MAC Compatible! |
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The Interactive Metronome can now be run on Intel-based
Macs |
Attention MAC-users! We
know that you have all been waiting for this day and
here it is! We are excited to announce the IM PRO
8.0 will run on Intel-based Macintosh computers.
First you need to
download or buy one of the two programs below from
outside sources:
1. Bootcamp-
Lets you install Windows without moving your Mac
data. This options allows you to start your computer
in either a Windows or Mac environment. You must
have your own copy of Windows to install on your
computer, as Bootcamp does not provide you with
this.
*FREE Download
2. Parallels -
Run Windows programs like native Mac applications.
This option allows you to open Parallels like an
application in your Mac environment. You must have
your own copy of Windows to install on your
computer, as Parallels does not provide you with
this.
*FOR PURCHASE
($79.99)
Once you choose an
option, you simply install IM PRO 8.0 in Windows, hook
up your station and start clapping away!
**Please note that IM, Inc. does not provide technical
support for Bootcamp or Parallels, only the IM.
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***IMPORTANT***
Your information may not be correct on the IM Provider
Locator. |
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If you
are an Interactive Metronome Provider and have never
submitted information on the treatment types you offer,
the IM Provider Locator will show "No" in each area and
patients may think you do not provide IM treatment.
Please
visit the
Provider Login section of the website, Scroll down
the Login Home Page and click on the link that says:
"Click Here to Update your IM Treatment Types Offered "
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IM Contact Information: |
| If at any time you
need clinical, technical or marketing support, please contact us. We
look forward to helping you making IM succeed in your practice. |
 |
877-994-6776 (US
only)
954-385-4660
Fax: 954-385-4674
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| Clinical Support:
opt. 5 |
| Technical Support:
opt. 4 |
| Marketing Support:
opt. 6 |
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We are excited to
announce that IM will be introducing core:tx
® neuro to
market December 1, 2007. Read about this exciting
new product below:
Overview
The
core:tx
® is a new performance based feedback system
designed to facilitate somatosensory (proprioception)
awareness and stimulate motor control and planning
of almost any part of the body.
The
core:tx
® is a software and hardware system that interfaces
with a patient, giving him or her real time
information based on the position and movement of
selected joints in space. At the same time this
system provides the clinician with valuable
objective data on the patient’s performance and
abilities.
Over
the years, Occupational and Physical Therapists have
been trying to find new ways to treat neuro-muscular
deficits. The
core:tx
® is designed for patients suffering from neurological
disorders that respond well to the game like programs.
By
providing multi-sensory feedback based on movement
quality, therapists may be able to maximize the
performance-based feedback and repetition to
establish and reinforce new or existing motor
patterns.
These
neuro-muscular patterns form an important part in
stroke rehab, peripheral motor control training and
muscular imbalance training.
Stroke Rehab:
The
core:tx
® provides an environment where the patient
interacts with the program forcing them to make
constant adjustments that facilitate the
communication and problem solving needed to develop
new motor pathways. By providing multi-sensory
feedback based on his or her performance and the
ability to practice functional movements, the
potential for neuroplasticity is enhanced.
Motor Control:
In the absence or limitation of motor
control, the visual and auditory information
provided by the
core:tx
® assists the patient in making real time
adjustments that help retrain the brain and
peripheral joint receptors. By improving the
efficacy of these and other receptors (somatosensory
receptors), the patient learns how to control the
affected joint and muscles with greater accuracy.
Joint Stability (Muscular Balance):
The
core:tx
® provides the patient the opportunity to engage
muscles in response to the visual and auditory
feedback provided by the program. By incorporating
somatosensory information the patient learns how to
control muscle initiation and intensity. Thus
developing functional muscle balance and stability
around one or multiple joints
What makes the Core:Tx ®
Different?
The
Core:Tx ® has a
unique game like format of feedback
offers the following benefits:
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The ability to measure and track functional
range of motion. As well as measure the quality
of functional motor control
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It provides an environment where the patient is
cognitively involved.
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It keeps the patient engaged and motivated
through many repetitions.
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It provides real time audio and visual feedback
that can compensate for a potential lack in
other feedback (proprioception) needed for motor
learning.
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Ease of use and versatility allow the therapist
to simulate and measure the patient’s ability to
perform functional movements.
Who will benefit from Core:Tx ®
treatment?
The
patients that would benefit from the Core:Tx ®
treatment program can be divided into three separate
groups.
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Central Nervous System Damage
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Stroke
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Traumatic Brain Injury
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Other Central Nervous System
impairments (tumors, MS, etc.)
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Loss of Motor Control
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Traumatic Nerve Damage
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Compression Nerve Damage
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Peripheral Neuropathy
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Loss of Proprioception due to
Injury or Joint Replacement
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Joint Stability Disorders
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Post Surgical Muscle
Imbalance
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Muscle Imbalance due to
Injury
The
Core:Tx ® is versatile with 14 pre-selected
movements and the ability to add any new movements
of functional motor patterns that can be used to
facilitate neuro-muscular control and carry-over to
functional task performance and at the same time
measure this progression.
Look for more
information about core:tx
® in a feature eNews later this month. Details on
ordering information will be included.
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Learn
the answers to Frequently Asked Clinical Questions |
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Clinical Questions Answered Here |
Get answers to your
clinical questions here. Also be sure to visit the
provider login section of the website and use the FAQ/Best Practices tool.
This exciting new feature lets you search for answers to IM questions by
Diagnosis, Deficit, or both.
Q:
My
husband is a deaf man who went to Healthsouth for a
language evaluation. It was recommended that his
therapy include the Interactive Metronome. It is my
understanding that this has never been used with a deaf person at this clinic. I am curious if this
has ever been used with a deaf person any where else
and if so, was it successful? A hearing person has
the benefit of the beeping sound as well as the
flash on the computer. A deaf person will only have
the flashing light. Can it be as effective?
From
Clinical Education Director: Amy Vega
A:
It has recently been
discovered that IM can be used with the sound
turned off (using the visual mode with center
flash) to rehabilitate visual attention,
processing, and processing speed....below is is
the story of how the use of IM in this way has
propagated.
I worked in a highly specialized outpatient
brain injury rehab center with patients
suffering from a variety of neurological
deficits (traumatic brain injury, stroke, brain
tumor resection, epilepsy, Parkinson's, etc). I
have witnessed time and again the dramatic
outcomes that can be achieved with IM...as
compared to other treatment approaches that do
not incorporate timing and rhythm.
I was very diligent
in assessing my patients before IM, at interim
points in IM treatment, and upon completion of
IM with standardized and functional evaluation
tools to document changes in cognitive,
communicative, and behavioral functioning. I
noticed that almost all of the patients (I'd say
just about 99%) improved significantly in
auditory attention, auditory processing, and
auditory processing speed. At least half of
those same patients that improved in auditory
attention and processing (maybe more) continued
to show profound to severe deficits in visual
attention and processing (< 1st percentile to
1st percentile on standardized assessment).
I reasoned that,
although I had used combined
auditory - visual modes with these
individuals in an attempt to improve both
auditory and visual attention and processing,
these patients must have relied more on their
stronger auditory modality. Without forcing
the visual modality to kick in, I reasoned they
may not improve in their visual skills.
Research on rehabilitation of the arm and hand
after stroke (hemiplegia) shows that when the
patient's intact arm & hand are constrained and
he is forced to use the impaired extremity for
all activities of daily living in an intensive
manner, recovery of function of the arm and hand
occurs (AKA constraint-induced therapy).
Functional MRI (MRI scan that allows researchers
to see what the brain is doing during motor or
cognitive/behavioral tasks) shows neurological
reorganization or neurological recovery of
function of the arm and hand in patients that
undergo this type of "forced-use"
therapy...So, I turned off the sound
(unplugged the headphones) and tried IM
without sound on myself to see if this could be
done. I was successful and began to do this
with certain patients who were not progressing
visually.
With the visual mode
on (with center flash) and the sound turned off,
I often found that I needed to turn down the
tempo (i.e., reduce the speed)...even though the
patient used the visual mode previously at the
normal tempo (54 beats per minute) when the
sound was on.....further evidence that the
patient was not truly engaging visual attention
and processing?? The patients were then
required to attend to, process, and anticipate
the timing and rhythm of the "visual metronome,"
using the visual guides on the screen to
determine how close to or how far away from the
beat there were. I gradually increased the pace
by increasing the tempo so the patients were
required to process the visual information
faster and faster. I created visual stimuli
that I used in conjunction with the IM (this
part was done with the sound on though).
The visual stimuli I created were intended to
work on several aspects of function: visual
attention, visual processing, visual memory,
planning & anticipating, processing speed, and
impulse-control.
Upon completion of
the visual IM program (IM with sound off & use
of visual stimuli with IM sounds on), I then
retested these patients for visual attention and
processing (i.e., attention and processing
tests, reading tests, functional assessment of
safety and independence in the
environment...crossing the street, finding items
on store shelves, etc). I then
saw measurable improvement in visual attention,
visual processing, processing speed, reading,
and executive functions (self-monitoring,
self-evaluation, problem-solving, anticipation &
planning, self-initiation, organization &
sequencing, reasoning, behavioral control). I
cannot say with certainty what was more
effective... doing IM with the sound off....the
visual stimuli with the sound on...or
combination of the two approaches. Due to
significant impact of this approach on my
patients' functioning, I continued to practice
this way and other clinicians who worked with me
adopted the approach with similar outcomes.
After presenting on use of visual IM at the IM
Professional Conference in 2006, I've heard some
feedback that this particular use of IM has been
adopted by a few other clinicians around the
U.S. and that it has been beneficial to their
patients.
The clinical
application of IM continues to evolve to this
day. Clinicians are pushing the envelope with
this neuro technology, recognizing that
incorporating the 4 critical elements of
timing, rhythmicity, timely
feedback (guide sounds), and
repetition/intensity in almost any
activity is very beneficial and results in
better treatment outcomes. IM has recently been
referred to as a "timing intervention." No
matter how it is used, it is tapping into that
critical aspect of human function called
temporal processing.
A deaf person could
use IM in this manner (with the sound off). As
mentioned (in red above), I am not sure which of
the interventions was most effective in
producing the cognitive outcomes I witnessed
with my "hearing" patients....this is a question
for further study. The clinician who is
suggesting use of the IM with your husband
should be able to provide you with a rationale
for use of the IM with the sound off (i.e., to
work on attention/concentration, to improve
motor control and coordination, to improve
reading, etc). The metronome is the
stimulus for improving timing & rhythm.
In theory, the visual metronome (with
sound off) should be just as effective as the
auditory metronome for improving cognitive
& motor skills. While there can be no absolute
guarantee of outcomes for your husband, IM is a
non-invasive intervention and it cannot hurt to
try it. It is the best tool we have at this
time to improve the core skills of timing
rhythm.
Gains from IM will
be best observed by you, your husband, and his
therapist if he is assessed with standardized
measures to document baseline performance before
IM is implemented. He should be reassessed
periodically and upon completion of IM to
determine whether and where specific gains were
made (i.e., improve motor skills, improved
concentration, etc).
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