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...
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...
Stories Treadmill Gait Training with the New Pacer June 21, 2016 by Elena Noble, MPT
A young girl with special needs uses the treadmill to practice gait training helped by her therapist
Partial weight-supported treadmill training (PBWSTT) has widespread application particularly among patients who are not yet able to practice over-ground gait training. Unfortunately the equipment required can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Until now. One of the valuable new features of the New Pacer is a base designed for treadmill use. The upper frame of the New Pacer clips easily into the...
Stories Commencement and Triumph June 01, 2015 by Elena Noble, MPT
A high school graduate practices gait training for the commencement ceremony
It’s that time of year, the season of commencement ceremonies, and each year we hear words of inspiration and hope from podiums all over the country. But here at Rifton, because we make a gait trainer, we hear remarkable stories of perseverance, of high school kids whose lives have been upended by injury but resolve to walk across the stage to receive their diploma. This year is no different...