KUBANG KERIAN, August 2015 - Realising that the use of available exercise equipment for the rehabilitation of patients recovering from arthritis, sports injuries, stroke and fracture can be quite burdensome, the Beyond Rehab group of the Rehabilitation Unit, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) has taken the opportunity to produce an innovative project known as the 'Multi Upper Limb Exercise' (MUL-eX).

Based on their experience and observation, existing equipment presents many drawbacks including high cost, large size, and limited functionality besides being static, causing discomfort and difficulty for the patient and resulting in a slow recovery process.

According to the Acting Head of the HUSM Recovery Unit, Mohd Zamani Mamat, a group of employees here produced Beyond Rehab, an equipment that costs only RM200 each with six different functions.

"MUL-eX is an exercise equipment that helps joint recovery, including 'finger exercise' in which the patient has to stretch the five fingers according to the degree of muscle strength, 'overhead pulley' in which the patient pulls the handles up to maximum shoulder movement, 'shoulder ladder' which requires the patient to lift a rod step-by-step into a MUL-eX serrated hole up to the maximum level, besides 'rubber band board' where the patient moves against the resistance of a rubber rod, ‘wrist flexion and extension exercise' rotate both wrists forward and 'shoulder abduction exercise’ where the patient pulls the holder outward to the maximum extent," said Mohd Zamani.

“Furthermore this innovation project not only saves costs but also speeds up the healing process of patients apart from saving space and human resources,” he added.

There are more than 10 active groups in the KIK recovery unit and each year preliminary rounds are created at unit level before the chosen equipment and group are submitted to contest at campus level.

"This year, the Beyond Rehab group and MUL-eX were selected to represent the Recovery Unit because the device has the potential to be commercialised as an innovation product for rehabilitation. Winning the Gold Award at the national level competition makes the sacrifice of every team member worthwhile including spending their time and money to produce these tools," explained Mohd Zamani.

The Recovery Unit is a unit active in the production of innovative products and initiatives and it is not surprising that their innovation was recognised when it won the National Innovation Award in 2014.

Translation: Sharifah Zafirah Syed Nassir/Editing: Dr. Nurul Farhana Low Abdullah & Tan Ewe Hoe / Text: Lailatul Hafiza Abdul Rashid/Photo: Ehsan Kumpulan Beyond Rehab