Helius Medical Technologies, a neurotech company focused on delivering a novel therapeutic neuromodulation approach for balance and gait deficits, announced that it will be showcasing its breakthrough Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) technology at the American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting (CSM). At this year’s CSM, the nation’s largest meeting venue for rehabilitation therapists, Helius will not only inform on the benefits of PoNS Therapy but, for the first time, offer on-site training to teach physical therapists how to apply it.
From Feb. 23-25, 2023, visitors to the Helius booth at the San Diego Convention Center will learn about Helius’s PoNS device, which delivers electrical impulses through nerve fibers on the tongue, stimulating the flow of neural impulses to brain structures that control gait and balance. This cascade of activity results in a neuromodulatory effect, essentially “rewiring” parts of the brain and, when combined with exercise, helps people with multiple sclerosis (MS) improve their ability to walk.
New this year will be a free PoNS professional training event exclusively for physical therapists. The 90-minute session, held on the exhibit floor, will enable attendees to return home as registered PoNS instructors, a step required to be able to treat patients with PoNS. This is a rare opportunity for in-person training with a Helius professional, as PoNS training is routinely offered and independently performed online.
“We’re particularly thrilled to be at this year’s CSM. It’s the first time since we entered the market nine months ago that we have the opportunity to interact face-to-face with physical rehabilitation therapists, sharing scientific information and answering questions on the therapeutic benefits of treating MS patients with PoNS,” says Helius President and Chief Executive Officer Dane Andreeff. “In addition, offering on-site PoNS Therapy training to CSM attendees empowers them to go back home with the skillset to treat their patients with an innovative therapy, surely an added value from a patient’s perspective.”
This special PoNS Therapy training event will be held on Friday, Feb. 24, from 5:00-6:30 p.m. Helius’ Director of Physical Therapy Whitney Patrickson, DPT, will teach attendees how to use the PoNS device and PoNS software. Dr Patrickson will offer physical therapists, physiatrists, and occupational therapists insights on how to leverage their own expertise to maximize PoNS Therapy’s effectiveness, structure exercise regimens tailored to each patient, and supervise patients throughout the required 14 weeks of therapeutic activity. The session is free but interested physical therapists must register at the booth or online beforehand at https://www.ponstherapy.com/pons-professional-training-at-apta/. Attendance is limited to the first 30 people to sign up.
“All conferences and professional meetings offer attendees the opportunity to expand their knowledge,” says Andreeff. “Those who visit [our] CSM booth can go beyond learning and actually do something that lets them leave the conference with a tangible skillset to add to their therapeutic toolbox.”
Helius Medical Technologies is a leading neurotech company in the medical device field focused on neurologic deficits using non-implantable platform technologies that amplify the brain’s ability to compensate and promote neuroplasticity, improving the lives of people dealing with neurologic diseases. The company’s first commercial product is the Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) device.
