CogniTrain

 

Philosophy

COGNITION AS DUAL TASK IN THE REHABILITATION.

In our physical therapy center "Oosterpark" in Amsterdam, sports rehabilitation is one of the forefronts. Next to doing the “regular” training therapy, the need arose for an alternative treatment where tasks were performed simultaneously. We call this “dual tasks”. The idea is that if the patient can sufficiently perform the given exercises while his/her attention is being distracted, whether by a physical or cognitive dual task, the recuperation in daily life and/or sports is more complete.

Literature in the field reveals that there has been much research done with CVA patients doing double tasks. The results show that this group of patients sooner regained confidence to function in their daily lives.

What we did while developing CogniTrain was to impose just enough distraction during exercises that the patients’ concentration was not merely focused on the physical activity itself. After all, the movements to be acquired after an injury must again become “automatic”. Balancing, trampolining, skipping rope, etc., are first taught and learned until the movements are done satisfactorily. The next phase is to perform the same task but then with a cognitive or physical dual task. For cognitive dual tasks, we have developed a DVD with exercises that vary in the degree of difficulty. A number of programmes have been recorded for pediatric physical therapy as well.

Additionally, we also considered if we could find a way to make certain exercises more purposeful. We looked for a sort of "feedback" where the patient would not do exercises halfheartedly but rather was challenged to perform really well. For this, CogniTrain has developed feedback boxes which produce infrared lines. These boxes can also be used 3-dimensionally with the help of poles that can be adjusted in height. The boxes give an auditory feedback signal if the line is disrupted.

In practice, it is evidenced that with the help of these feedback boxes and the distraction from the DVD programmes, a scala of new playful and challenging exercises are created. These have an enormous contribution to the development of depth sensibility and the feeling of movement in space. CogniTrain products form a positive supplement to the well-known training material.

In the physical therapy center "Oosterpark", the products of CogniTrain have been utilized and tested for over three years which has helped us develop the method further. On this site you can find the result of our ideas and the materials which have been designed.

Jules Alberga and Ton de Boer

To read Jules’s article on this subject which was published in the June 2007 FysioPraxis, click >>HERE<< (pdf format) (to be translated)