700,000 People in the United States have strokes each year, and almost a third of those who survive lose the ability to walk on their own. The good news is that physical therapy can help many regain lost abilities and even walk again. The bad news is that government and private insurers have recently cut support for therapy. From 1994 to 2001, the duration of rehabilitation stays for stroke survivors decreased by a third, and Joel Stein, chief medical officer of Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, says this trend continues. A prototype robot built by Evanston, IL, startup Chicago PT may speed up patients' progress, allowing more of them to walk before the window for therapy closes.
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