EXERCISE AS MEDICINE NZ
THE NEUROGYM®
Condition-specific exercise for those who are recovering from a stroke or other neurological conditions.
FAQs
What conditions do you work with? We established the NeuroGym® largely to cater for stroke survivors, however, such is the demand from people living with other neurological challenges that we now work with a range of conditions from stroke to Parkinson’s, MS, brain injury, ataxia and neuropathy.
What physical challenges does stroke present? It depends on where in the brain the stroke occurs, but in very general terms, a stroke impedes the way the nerves communicate with the muscles, which can lead to muscles going into spasm for long periods (spasticity) or a complete lack of voluntary movement in a limb (flaccidity). Both impact lower limb function (gait), upper limb function (reach, grip etc.) and balance.
How do you work with these challenges? In simple terms, there are three main focuses when working with stroke. The first is to increase muscle strength and power, the second is to re-establish damaged neurological connections and the third is to improve balance. A key driver of recovery is neuroplasticity.
What is neuroplasticity? Neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the brain to change and adapt due to experience. This happens to all of us all the time, but in the case of neurological conditions, we are specifically looking to create new neural pathways to compensate for the damaged ones and thus restore a degree of function.
How does this work? In order to create new pathways, we need to feed the correct signals to the brain over and over again. Every time we do this, it strengthens the new pathway.
Where do other neurological conditions fit into the equation? The same neuroplastic principles apply to Parkinson’s, MS, neuropathy and so on. The difference is that we will have different goals for different conditions.
Where and when does the NeuroGym® operate? The NeuroGym works on an open-gym basis, which means that you can attend at any time between Mondays & Thursdays, 12.00pm-2.30pm at Bishopdale Recreation Centre, Bishopdale Mall, Bishopdale.
Please contact Tim Webster to arrange a trial session: tim@eamnz.com or 021 0228 2551.
Testimonials
Former Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore who had a stroke in 2024 says: “Christchurch is fortunate in having this unique facility. After experiencing a stroke, I was directed to the gym by the hospital physio.
“I have attempted to go to gyms during my life and found them boring and dropped out every time. When I walked into this gym I immediately felt at home. It is full of people working to rehabilitate themselves and we receive amazing encouragement and professional support from the staff.
“The stronger attendees help those who are struggling, and the level of humour and fun makes me look forward to my attendance twice a week. I enjoy the challenge of getting better.”
Part of gym now is a physical-mental machine that I can set to push my memory and physical and eyesight function.
You can feel it firing up those neurons. I also enjoy the usual machines and feeling my body improve,
Everything about this place is good for me (even some discomfort) and I feel my mental health is the best it’s been since before covid and physical health probably best since I was a teenager.
This is a massive improvement in cognition and stability over the last 9 months.
Thomas McGrath