Rehabilitation as a game

Distance is no obstacle to good deeds. “As President of the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women I am honored to head the ‘Guardian Angels Ukraine’ humanitarian project,” wrote Lesia Shymko, an iconic figure in Canadian Diaspora, in The Day’s New Year questionnaire. She is also the head of Canadian-Ukrainian Parliamentary Centre. “The past year, thanks to the financial support of our Diaspora in Canada and the dedicated work of our partner in Ukraine, Colonel Doctor Vsevolod Stebliuk, we were able to create the first Center for the Psychological and Physical Rehabilitation of Ukrainian Soldiers at the Irpin Military Hospital near Kyiv.”

We were eager to see the project, advertized by Shymko. The rehabilitation center at the Irpin Military Medical Center for professional pathology has been there since the late 1980s. However, in the past two years it has changed significantly – thanks to the initiative of volunteers. The center now has new exercise rooms with modern fitness equipment. And the help of Canadian benefactors (namely the “Guardian Angels Ukraine”) and the participation of Vsevolod Stebliuk, Assistant Minister for Defense of Ukraine, have brought an IREX machine to the hospital. It is an interactive rehabilitation system, which has no analogues in Eastern Europe. During the visit to the Center for the Psychological and Physical Rehabilitation in Irpin, The Day learned how the innovative equipment helps our soldiers to adapt to life after the war.

Dmytro Varlamov, Head of Department for Unconventional Therapies at the Hospital, leads us to a small room with a plasma monitor and a green wall on the other side. These are the elements of the innovative device.

SOLDIER OLEKSANDR MEDVEDIEV HAS BEEN DOING IREX EXERCISES FOR TWO WEEKS AND IS CONVINCED THAT MOVING “VIRTUAL BOXES” IS NOT THE EASIEST THING TO DO

“To put it simply, IREX is a game console,” says Varlamov. “Its purpose is the rehabilitation of patients with dysfunctions of hands and feet, coordination problems, and lesions of the brain. In general, it is aimed at restoring mobility. Therapeutic exercise has the same function, but there the job is done by doctors, who, for example, must move a patient’s injured limbs. And when the patient works in a gymnastics hall, their thoughts are directed on the issue. And from that derives pain, which limits mobility. It is a vicious circle. IREX offers a participation in a game to the patient. A person distracted, and the movements come more easily.”

Every day from 10 to 12 people use the equipment. There are 25 games, specifically programmed for the task. The camera, located on the plasma screen, takes pictures of the patient and creates their virtual image. The overseeing doctors are choosing a program and set the tempo. One session lasts 40 minutes.

THE HOSPITAL HAS HAD THIS REMEDIAL GYMNASTICS ROOM FOR A LONG TIME, BUT, THANKS TO VOLUNTEERS, IT IS NOW EQUIPPED WITH UP-TO-DATE POWER AND CARDIO TRAINERS, EXERCISE BICYCLES, AND A TREADMILL

Oleksandr Medvediev, 21st Battalion of the 56th Brigade soldier, had just finished training on IREX. The man admits that training on the machine is not easier that physiotherapy – however, it is much more interesting. “I’ve been doing this for a week and it’s pretty interesting. Of course, I’m a little too old to play computer games, but they bring more fun than regular exercise. And I can also see the improvement. My arm used to hang motionlessly, but now I can make it work.”

Near the IREX room, there is a hall for relaxation. In the small premise with sofas the pleasant, relaxing music is played, and nice pictures are shown on the screen. The same building has a room for occupational therapy, also created by volunteers.

SOLDIERS MOST OFTEN SUFFER FROM KNEE JOINT PROBLEMS. SOME BOYS HAD NOT EVEN SERVED IN THE ARMY BEFORE THE ATO – THIS IS WHY THEY SOMETIMES RECEIVE HOME-STYLE INJURIES

“Here we teach boys how to adapt to everyday conditions,” says Doctor Anna Makovii from rehabilitation department. “The issue is that after standard exercise course some guys have difficulties in tuning their motor skills for domestic work. Here we teach them everything – from opening doors to washing dishes. We also practice creative therapy: modeling and origami.”

One of the largest rehabilitation rooms is designed for physical therapy. It has been operational for a long time, but most fitness equipment has been bought here past year.

“We have cardio equipment here – exercise bikes and treadmills,” Makovii says, “Here we carry group sessions for patients with different types of diseases. We have illnesses that come from old age, as well as injuries. A unit for developing a knee joint is the most demanded piece of equipment. Knee injuries are very common. Many guys who are starting to serve are not ready for the strain of military life. Volunteer battalions have those who have never been in the army before. Therefore, many injuries look like everyday ones. Take a wrong jump – and you have problems with your knee.”

In the exercise hall we meet a soldier from Aidar battalion, callsign Padre. He is a priest and a refugee from Russia. A man was wounded several times during the fighting in the east, and is now trying to recover from an old injury: “A nerve has been damaged for a long time, and now it began to have its effect,” says Padre. “I knew that needed surgery, but I did not take it seriously. And so, I’m here since December 25. The plaster was removed only recently. Now I feel better, but the leg is still static. As there are no active hostilities now, I have the opportunity to bring myself back into shape. But as soon as they are renewed, I will assume the frontline duty again.”

Doctors say that the center is now much more provided for, and the new equipment is continued to be bought. In particular, the soldiers will soon start working with instruments for the development of shoulder and elbow joints. According to doctors, a good piece of equipment is never too much, and they hope that the center will continue to improve.