2019 Gumbo final - Book - Page 74
Stroke of the Guitar
Stroke victims now have a creative option for their
rehabilitation, thanks to a team of University students
who have built an adaptive guitar specializing in
restoring motor function. The guitar, which is the second of its kind,
was originally the brainchild of Assistant Professor of Kinesiology,
Nikita Kuznetsov.
wants to experiment with playing their adaptive guitar. Kuznetsov
compared the experience to the popular music game Guitar Hero,
although the technique involved is significantly more difficult.
Students should not get discouraged if they initially find playing the
instrument challenging, especially since they are instructed to play
with their non-dominant hand.
“I have a friend who had a stroke and he was a musician,”
Kuznetsov said. “He basically couldn’t play anymore, and he had
played the guitar. I thought this might be one way to help him.”
“Some students get very frustrated the first day,” Cherry said. “It
moves very quickly, so they get overwhelmed at first.”
Kuznetsov said his friend tried to develop a similar device, but
couldn’t get it to work. Whenever Kuznetsov started his faculty
position at the University, he saw it as the perfect opportunity
to continue his friend’s work. Kuznetsov enlisted a diverse team
ranging from undergraduate freshmen to alumni to work on the
project. Kinesiology graduate student Marcelline Dechenaud
immediately jumped on board, since it was a unique opportunity
to combine her academic interest in kinesiology with her musical
hobby.
“I’m a musician,” Dechenaud said. “When I heard about the project,
I thought that would be a very cool thing for me to be involved in.”
Dechenaud plays the cello but finds it difficult to devote time to
music amidst her academic pursuits.
“I wouldn’t do it professionally, since I don’t have enough time, but
I try to practice as much as I can,” Dechenaud said.
The adaptive guitar has the added benefit of being like a starter
guitar for students who are not musical. Although it can be difficult
at first, most of the test subjects got the hang of it quickly.
“After the first few days, it was so easy, they weren’t concentrating
anymore, and so then that’s the reason they would mess up,”
Dechenaud said.
The benefits of the adaptive guitar not only apply to stroke
victims or those seeking to learn how to play an instrument on
a basic level. Seasoned musicians might be fascinated by the
guitar’s capability to play chords that are impossible on a standard
acoustic due to the complex hand placement. LSU alumnus James
Kirsch, who graduated with his bachelor’s in engineering but still
remains closely involved with the project, said the project had its
fair share of doubters. The idea has been attempted multiple times
before, but this version is by far the most complicated and the
most successful.
Kinesiology freshman Sarah Cherry was excited to have been
included in such a meaningful project during her first year at the
University.
“No one else expected it to work,” Kirsch said. “They thought it
was too complicated. When we finally presented it, one of the
guys who said there was no way it was going to work said, ‘I don’t
understand how you did this.’ He called it black magic.”
“This is my first experience with research at a university setting,”
Cherry said. “It’s such a great opportunity for me to be involved in
during my freshman year of college.”
Despite the skeptics, Kirsch said the team always remained
confident. It took a lot of long nights, but they eventually
accomplished their goals.
Each year in the U.S., an estimated 795,000 people suffer from a
stroke. Despite popular misconception, it is not a rare condition
that only affects the elderly. It is extremely common, and can
happen to anyone at anytime.Recovering from a stroke can also be
a lifelong process.
“A few days before, I realized it wasn’t physically possible to put it
together, so I had to make a lot of last minute modifications,” Kirsch
said.
“I think this is something that I think a lot of people can understand
and relate to,” Cherry said. “It’s easy for me to get excited about,
because it has such an awesome impact on people.”
Although the adaptive guitar has only been tested on University
student volunteers, the University will soon bring the device to
Baton Rouge General Hospital. Kuznetsov is currently working on a
grant to expand funding for the project.
“This project involves a lot of people, so it’s a great motivator,”
Kuznetsov said. “We’re all in this together.”
The project is still seeking volunteers and welcomes anyone who
LSU students help rehabilitate stroke
victims with adaptive guitar
Although Kirsch emphasized the stress the team was under in the
last few days before the presentation, he mentioned his respect for
Kuznetsov as an inspiration.
“Nikita’s great,” Kirsch said. “Making him happy was worth it.”
Although the difficult part of developing the device is over,
Kuznetsov said that his project has a higher ultimate goal of
becoming a commonplace rehabilitation method.
“I want to do something that helps with the quality of life in the
community,” Kuznetsov said. “Down the line, this could be used
for people with Parkinson’s, children with autism or aging adults. It
could really be helpful in a variety of situations.”
Story // Anna Jones
Photo // Marcelline Dechenaud
Design // Rachel Hurt
72
73
72
73
