Read Jorge Retamal's testimony on telerehabilitation

In June 2018, Jorge Retamal underwent surgery for three hernias that resulted in an incomplete spinal cord injury and prevented him from walking again. Shortly after he was discharged, a relative in Santiago told him that he had seen a report of a person who had fallen on a motorcycle and was rehabilitating with TrainFES. But it was not until 2019, when he contacted a person in Talca who had the TrainFES equipment to treat his mobility problem. 

After visiting him at his home and seeing how he trained, he made contact with Moises Campos, CEO of TrainFES. "At that time, the price of the equipment was unattainable for me. I was just starting out and made the decision not to buy it. But at the beginning of June, I saw it on television. Because of the pandemic, it came out as an alternative to in-person rehabilitation. So, as I had already spoken to Moisés, I contacted him again because I heard that the equipment was being leased. I heard that the equipment was being rented for a month on a trial basis.. So it was more accessible and I had the chance to try it out," he explains from his home in Molina.

After a month of testing the equipment, the TrainFES kinesiologist and physiatrist realized that the treatment was working for him and that he had expectations of continued recovery. that the treatment worked for him and that he had expectations to continue to recover with the help of the with the help of the equipment.

Jorge's progress is clear: "I've felt myself functioning better with TrainFES, because I'm doing solo walkingsomething I had not dared to do. I am gaining more confidence every day, because the team helps and encourages you, thanks to your own body, to move". His short-term expectations are to be able to walk alone and safely. It should be noted that at the moment he is not complementing the use of TrainFES with other traditional treatments, due to the pandemic and the risk involved in moving to other places.

Your experience with distance rehabilitation 

His treatment has been completely remote. After a second call to TrainFES, he received the equipment at home and the kinesiologist trained him and his family. "We are all involved in this. Juan Pablo (TrainFES kinesiologist) explained to us the function of each piece of equipment so that we could get comfortable. He also sent us by e-mail the positioning of the electrodes with the nomenclature, information to know which muscle each exercise is aimed at, what is the purpose of putting this device in a certain place". On the other hand, if you have any doubts, you can clarify them in the weekly sessions or even contact the professional directly. 

Undoubtedly, one of the things that mattered most to him was the availability of the kinesiologist. In this case, the treatment is super deferential and close. "That is very important for you, because you are not always in the same mood and disposition. You go through different states. Emotionally, this situation is very complex.

Regarding the use of the TrainFES equipment, he explains that it is quite simple, he only needs help from his daughter for some details. "Let's not say it's something unattainable for anyone, quite the contrary, it's quite accessible in terms of use." 

During the first month, Jorge had two weekly sessions with the kinesiologist. But he also had to fulfill the tasks that were left for him. "For the use of TrainFES on my own, I allocate about 15 minutes per exercise three times a day. I try to mix two types of exercises, from the trunk down and from the trunk up. In total it's between 45 minutes and an hour a day. Obviously there are days when I've felt a little more tired or I've done something else because of force majeure. In those cases I have done it once a day, but I try to be as disciplined as possible. It's up to me to pull this off with the help of the team". 

Testimony of telerehabilitation

For him, having the support of a professional is crucial to do things with more confidence. "I think I'm pretty motivated about it; I need to get out of this, I need to move forward. I'm a pretty driven guy," he says. Likewise, it has been critical to get his family involved. "The support network is essential, because alone it would have been much more complex."