Stories The Magic of the Floating Frame March 19, 2018 by Amanda Blankley
A teenage boy using a gray Rifton Pacer gait trainer to walk.
Saad is a young man who just transitioned to our adult services from his school program in September 2017, and even though I try hard not to have favorites, Saad tests my resolve; he never fails to brighten my day. When Saad first arrived, he only had the wheelchair he came in. We put him in an old-style Rifton XL Pacer. Saad has cerebral palsy, involving a complex history with both his knees requiring...
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...
Evidence Based Practice Evidence Update: Dynamic Gait Training for Child with SCI October 17, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
A child with sci in a blue dynamic gait trainer smiles at his caregiver as he walks through the school hallway.
Because good clinical evidence on the benefits of gait training is so scarce, we celebrate every contribution we find. Here’s one that specifically explores the effect of dynamic gait training on a child with a spinal cord injury. After sustaining a complete T10 spinal cord injury (SCI) at 23 months old, this child began a walking program six months later. She initially started with a posterior...
Evidence Based Practice Evidence Update: Children with CP and Home-based Treadmill Programs September 25, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
A young girl uses the treadmill base and pink Rifton Pacer to gait train over a treadmill while assisted by her therapist.
Motor learning suggests that practice, repetition and task specificity are instrumental to task improvement. Sometimes extending the practice of therapeutic activities beyond the clinical environment and into the home is a great way to apply these principles and reinforce the gains made in the clinic. Knowing this, I was interested to read a recent study looking at children with cerebral palsy and the...
Stories In Praise of the Athlete August 25, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
Johnny Agar cheers as he is pushed in an all-terrain stroller by his dad while training for the Kona Ironman.
Johnny Agar never considered himself an athlete. Born with cerebral palsy, he used a wheelchair, depended on others to care for him and took his first steps—23 total—at 11 years old. But sports was always part of his life—after all his dad had been a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. But father and son did not bond on the baseball diamond. Inspired by My Team Triumph, a program where able...
Tips & Advice Comparing Rifton’s Three Gait Training Devices August 09, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
A glamour shot of a red E-Pacer gait trainer from Rifton.
Since gait training is a focal rehabilitation activity, we’ve done our best to design gait trainers that meet all needs. In addition to our pediatric line of gait trainers we have three devices that can be used by heavier, larger clients: the TRAM, the XL Pacer and the E-Pacer. While the TRAM is good for tight spaces or if you need a device that can double as a toileting or transfer aid, for full...
How To’s Arm Prompt Positioning Tutorial
arm prompt position
The arm supports of Rifton's Pacer gait trainer offer a wide variety of positioning options for upper extremity stability, comfort, steering, and assistance with head control, weight-bearing and weight-shifting. Use this tutorial as a guide for great positioning outcomes. Clamp Placement The clamp is the foundation for arm...
Tips & Advice Weight-bearing Assistance and Pelvic Positioning with the New Pacer Gait Trainer June 20, 2017 by Lori Potts, PT
pacer gait trainer multi positioning saddle
Rifton’s new Pacer gait trainer has three options for weight-bearing assistance and positioning of the hip girdle:   1. the multi-positioning saddle   2. the hip positioner,  and   3. the pelvic support Here’s a brief description of each with our recommendations to help you choose the right one for your clients. Multi-Positioning Saddle The multi...
Tips & Advice Arm Prompt Adjustment Tutorial May 16, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
arm prompt position
The arm supports of the Rifton Pacer are central to good positioning and gait control. When placed correctly, they assist with weight-bearing, weight-shifting, head control, upper extremity stability and steering. We find, however, that some users don’t make use of the full range of adjustments that are available on the arm prompts,so here's a great resource to guide good positioning.
Tips & Advice Reverse the Pacer’s Multi-Positioning Saddle in Just 10 Seconds November 22, 2016 by Lori Potts, PT
A young boy walks in the new Rifton Pacer gait trainer shown in blue with the multi-positioning saddle reversed to make it a posterior walker.
Many of our customers love the versatility of the new Rifton Pacer, but not everyone knows the simple and quick trick to reverse the Multi Positioning Saddle (MPS) allowing an individual to benefit from the pelvic positioning and weight bearing assist while using the Pacer gait trainer as a posterior walker. Here are the simple steps to make this happen: .embed-container { position: relative...
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