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!

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...
PT/OT Six Features To Love About the Support Station December 19, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
A therapists assists a young man in a sit to stand transfer for toileting at the Support Station.
When we’re talking about activities of daily living, it doesn’t get more basic—and more personal—than toileting. But the process of toileting is also a valuable opportunity to teach transfer, standing and hygiene skills—all essential to building independence in self-care. A successful and thoroughly dignified approach to incorporating these skills into the toileting routine is...
News Birthday Party Caption Contest December 12, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
A young boy watches his apple pie being made at Rifton's birthday party.
The apple pie making booth was a favorite at Rifton’s 40th birthday party and our photographer captured this moment. Write a caption and submit it in the comment section below. We’ll pick a winner on January 2nd. The winner will receive a Rifton bag.  Announcing the Winners Thank you for the great captions! It was next to impossible to choose a winner, but we finally reached agreement on...
Evidence Based Practice Evidence Update: Adding Resistance to BWSTT November 27, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
A close up of the legs of a young girl with cerebral palsy as she practices bwstt in the dynamic Pacer gait trainer.
Although integrated into pediatric clinical practice for the last decade, body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) continues to be an area of research interest and an evolving intervention. We can see this reflected in a recent study examining effective motor learning strategies for treadmill training. For children with disabilities, the treadmill is a safe place where they can organize their...
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