Elena Noble, MPT

Blog Editor

elena noble authorI didn’t know what to expect when I first joined Rifton in 2007, but I was looking for a challenge.  

I found that challenge and enjoy the work. It involves a little of everything—marketing, clinical pediatrics and orthopedics, conducting educational workshops, watering the office plants. I absolutely love the interaction with people who use our equipment and I occasionally make it down to the factory floor to help with the production of Rifton products. 

And you guessed it. Being a PT I value good health and exercise. Playing cards does rank pretty high along with fellowship and plenty of good laughs. And most importantly I am the mother of three beautiful daughters and a proud graduate of West Virginia University. Go Mountaineers!

Evidence Based Practice State of the Evidence: Intervention Effectiveness in Children with Cerebral Palsy March 26, 2020 by Elena Noble, MPT
A therapist helps a young girl into a gait trainer
In 2013, Iona Novak and her team put together one of the most comprehensive evidence-based overviews of pediatric interventions. With over 200 systematic reviews performed since then, this evidence update adds strength and definition to recommended interventions for children with cerebral palsy.
Evidence Based Practice Evidence Update: Clinical Practice Guideline to Improve Locomotor Function in Neurorehab February 25, 2020 by Elena Noble, MPT
man walking in the Rifton E-Pacer
New evidence in neurorehab points to the importance of intensive overground walking opportunities for individuals recovering from chronic stroke, TBI and SCI.
PT/OT Teaching Weight Acceptance with the Rifton Activity Chair January 07, 2020 by Elena Noble, MPT
a girl sitting on a Rifton Activity Chair washing her hands
Beyond the comforts of the sofa or the academics of a classroom, sitting is a learning position – for motor skill building. For those with disabilities that limit standing and walking opportunities, this means engaging in seated postures and activities that challenge core stability, endurance, trunk and head control. And the start of the learning process always begins with transferring out of a...
How To's Guidelines for Functional Use of the Pacer Gait Trainer Part II
girl using Rifton Pacer playing basketball
The Pacer gait trainer is a walking device used in pediatric and adult rehabilitation settings to support individuals with disabilities for upright posture and ambulatory activities. Each Pacer component (or prompt) adjusts to accommodate various positioning needs, and is easily removed when it is no longer required.
Tips & Advice Guidelines for Functional Use of the Pacer Gait Trainer Part I October 07, 2019 by Elena Noble, MPT
girl using Rifton Pacer
The Pacer gait trainer is a walking device used across pediatric settings and adult rehabilitation settings to support individuals with disabilities in upright postures and ambulatory activities. With the appropriate supports in the gait trainer, independent mobility becomes a possibility. Each Pacer accessory (or prompt) adjusts to accommodate any positioning need or is otherwise easily removed to...
Evidence Based Practice Evidence Update: Stretching and Resistance Exercise in Children with CP August 12, 2019 by Elena Noble, MPT
girl in green Rifton Pacer and caregiver
Improved joint range of motion (ROM) and strength certainly contribute to better functional outcomes in children with cerebral palsy (CP), but is stretching and progressive resistance exercise an adequate intervention to achieve the end? Previous research shows that children with CP have shorter hamstring muscles than their peers. A short or spastic hamstring muscle contributes to gait deviations, and...
Tips & Advice What To Do About Gait Trainer Seat Sitters June 10, 2019 by Elena Noble, MPT
A theraband in use with a blue Rifton Pacer gait trainer.
Do you work with children whose hips won’t stay forward during gait training? Or those kids who sit on the seat of a gait trainer when you want them upright? Whether from hypotonia or decreased core stabilization, here is a great idea to help cue those hips forward in the Rifton gait trainer. 1. Position the handholds of the Rifton Pacer upside down and towards the back of the top bar. 2. After...
News Unlikely Funding Source for Adaptive Equipment in Ohio May 14, 2019 by Elena Noble, MPT
A boy and caregiver in a classroom smile at the camera.
Employer work-place injury within schools may sound unlikely, but for those health professionals routinely assisting students with disabilities in school, it is not uncommon. In fact, the injury rate of health professionals engaging in lifts, transfers and re-positioning of patients ranks equally with those working in heavy construction settings.1,2 For this reason, in June of 2018, when the Ohio Bureau of...
Evidence Based Practice Evidence Update: New Research Suggests Increasing Pediatric Intervention Frequency January 02, 2019 by Elena Noble, MPT
A caregiver steers a child in a blue Rifton Adaptive Tricycle.
Existing evidence on pediatric therapy dosing is scanty and conflicting, though motor learning theory has long associated increased frequency and repetition of movement and skills with improved outcomes. A new study now appears to bolster this view in the context of school-based intervention. The study comes out of Norway, where almost all children with cerebral palsy are registered in CP-specific follow...
PT/OT Intervening Early for Better Mobility in CP March 06, 2018 by Elena Noble, MPT
A young girl with cerebral palsy receives early intervention gait training services while walking in a pink Pacer.
I recently attended the annual American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting (APTA CSM) in New Orleans. Among the wealth of great programming, I chose a course looking at early intervention for children with cerebral palsy (CP), and I’d like to share a few points I took away. For therapy purposes, early intervention means providing services to a child before two years of age...
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