Evidence Based Practice
Teens with Cerebral Palsy Benefit from Treadmill Gait Training – A Case Story
March 18, 2019
by Connie Johnson, PT, DScPT
As a pediatric physical therapist working in public schools, I want my students to move, and to move in the same way their peers do. When Rifton came out with the treadmill gait trainer, I was eager to explore increasing exercise intensity for my teenagers with mobility impairments. I was fortunate enough to get funding for one in my school. I went to the literature to look for protocols using gait treadmills for youth with disabilities and did not find much.
PT/OT
Treadmill Base: A Solution for Gait Practice
June 01, 2018
by Lori Potts, PT
Body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) is widely recognized as a promising intervention to improve ambulation for individuals with neuromotor disability, with diagnoses including cerebral palsy¹, spinal cord...
Stories
Great Strides with the Dynamic Rifton Pacer and Treadmill Base
May 07, 2018
by Shirley Dzikowski, PT
I have had great success with the dynamic Rifton Pacer gait trainer matched with Rifton’s treadmill base. Because my clients are completely supported, including their hands and arms, they are safe to work over a moving treadmill base.
Some of my clients even “run” on the treadmill at 2.0 and 2.5 mph as I have placed them up a bit higher and they learn how to move their feet quicker. This...
Evidence Based Practice
Evidence Update: Children with CP and Home-based Treadmill Programs
September 25, 2017
by Elena Noble, MPT
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...
PT/OT
Body Weight Supported Treadmill Walking
May 02, 2017
by Justin Gilligan, PTA
At our Therafit Rehab clinics in Maryland and New Jersey we specialize in treating children and adults with neurological disabilities such as cerebral palsy, stroke, TBI and Parkinson’s disease. Time and again our patients tell us their number one goal for rehab is walking – whether for the first time, relearning to walk or just walking better. And it’s no wonder. Walking is an...
Evidence Based Practice
Evidence Update: Early Intervention with Treadmill Training
August 29, 2016
by Elena Noble, MPT
Young children with disabilities respond well to early therapeutic intervention. Literature regarding cortical plasticity in the developing brain points to encouraging therapy results as well. Not surprisingly then, initial research on treadmill training in this population is positive, indicating quicker and more competent acquisition of gait skills.
However, for children, access to treadmills and a...
Stories
Treadmill Gait Training with the New Pacer
June 21, 2016
by Elena Noble, MPT
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...