Reviews

Product: Neuropatholator System 3

Manufacturer: Visual Odyssey Category: Patient Education For ordering information, please see the Preferred Reading and Viewing List, pages XX, or call (800) 359-2289

Imagine that you have finished adjusting T5 and T6. You stand the patient up and point to the chart on the wall and say, "Bob, I have adjusted your 5th and 6th dorsal vertebra. Push the button with the #5 on it and you can see how that will affect your nervous system." When Bob pushes the button, the stomach lights up, as well as the muscles of the rib cage that are innervated by those spinal levels. After just a few quick demonstrations like this after his adjustments, Bob looks forward to pushing the buttons and finding out what your treatments are doing for him.

The Neuropatholator is a combination of two lighted charts, each about 18" x 30," that are mounted side by side on the wall. One of the charts lights up the spinal and cranial nerves while the other one lights up the autonomic nervous system. Both are activated by pressing just one button. The charts come in three different cabinet colors: gold, dark bronze, and light grey.

I have used the Visual Odyssey Neuropatholator for four months in my practice and have had excellent results. More than ever, patients come into the office asking things like, "Doctor, could you check my bladder?" I use the spinal and cranial nerve chart to explain thoracic outlet syndrome and sciatica. When those nerves light up the path from the neck to the fingers, the patient's eyes light up, too. It is quick and easy to use, and the message to the patient is crystal clear. They can see the path of their pain lighting up on the Neuropatholator.

The Neuropatholator System 3 costs $1,699. That may sound a bit expensive, but this is a specialty item that is hand crafted for many years of use. Not only that, they allowed me to make four monthly payments. Visual Odyssey President Bruce Goldsmith provides a lot of support, advice, and even pamphlets to give to patients. This helps you to best use his company's products to get the most for your money. Besides, how much are referrals worth? I must say I have increased patient compliance significantly, and it has helped me bring in more family members of my patients than ever before. I strongly recommend this patient education product.

Eggleston Rating: 10

This videotape is one in a series for patient home rehabilitation. It is an excellent compilation of exercises designed for various states of recovery from shoulder injury. The exercise protocols wisely require only minimal, easily accessible equipment. Both the package insert and video text offer precautions to the patient regarding the importance of professional consultation, and the optimal frequency of exercise, while debunking such myths as "No pain, no gain" as they pertain to the rehabilitative process.

The text is separated into care for the acute and chronic shoulder complaints, with specific criteria for such classification. The acute phase is subdivided into gentle range of motion, isometric exercise and gentle strengthening exercise. The clinical criteria for increase of repetitions and progress into the next step in rehabilitation are exceedingly well delineated. Isometric exercises are demonstrated with a partner providing resistance, as well as demonstrations for the solo exerciser. The only error I found in this tape is the faulty position for resistance in shoulder flexor isometrics.

The chronic state includes exercises for flexibility/resistance, with free weights and resistance with gravity and body weight. Dr. Nelson shows a great talent for synthesis of protocols from various therapeutic sources (PT, sports rehab, and orthopedics). Her expertise as a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician, as well as exercise instruction and personal training, add greatly to the comprehensiveness and applicability of this home care instruction video. The tape is so packed with information that many of the exercises are demonstrated only unilaterally. The tape ends with five minutes of exercises for the elbow and wrist, as well as advice for cardiovascular training.

The video's only drawback is the poor audio, including extraneous noises, variability in volume, and a very "tinny" quality to the voice-over. Excessive volume of accompanying music often renders it "foreground" music. This is not a considerable handicap in an otherwise superlative presentation. This video will indubitably become a highly used item in my patient education library.