Dr. Lise Worthen-Chaudhari is transforming the rehabilitation of stroke and traumatic brain injury victims by incorporating the arts in their rehab processes.

Dr. Chaudhari has been conducting research for over a decade trying to find a way to make rehab a "fun and interactive healing process."

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Her background in dance and kinesiology (or the study of human movements) naturally brought her line of thinking into reconciling rehab with the arts.

With her team at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, she was able to combine dance and new video game technology to create the "Embedded Arts System."

This system is an interactive program that brings rehab patients into a personal "zone."

In this zone, each of the patients' movements is translated into a digital brush stroke on the screen.

With the use of biophysical sensors, the Embedded Arts System transforms a patient's movements into an art form using standard rehabilitation movement.

"In essence, their movements became their medicine," said Dr. Chaudhari.

During the trial, therapists reported a positive reaction from patients who were motivated to place all their focus and attention in creating pictures. This was good since patients spent more time doing rehabilitating movements.

The system also promotes an increase of neuromotor benefits. This is particularly useful for patients who suffer from a brain or spinal cord injuries. The aim is to enhance their quality of life.

While other methods have been tapped for neurorehabilitation, these have all proven difficult. They require the use of movement or a problem-solving capacity that might not be present in all patients.

The Embedded Arts System, on the other hand, allows the patients to heal using only their creativity.

Dr. Chaudhari is an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation. She is also the associate director of the Motion Analysis and Recovery Laboratory at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

She is currently pushing art into being more heavily incorporated in medicine.

TagsDr. Lise Worthen-Chaudhari, Embedded Arts, art, Rehab