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...
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...
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...
PT/OT Removing Limits, One Step at a Time September 14, 2017 by Kevin Mullin, CNR Managing Consultant
A close up of the legs of a young woman practicing gait in a grey Rifton dynamic Pacer after an spinal cord injury.
The Center for Neuro Recovery (CNR) in North Palm Beach, Florida, is not your traditional training and recovery center. It’s rated among the top training centers in the country with referrals from 54 national rehab hospitals and 17 international rehab hospitals, and it might be best described as a highly skilled comprehensive training facility for those willing to push the boundaries. CNR provides...
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...
Evidence Based Practice Improving Gait in Chronic TBI with Motor Learning Strategies July 25, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
tbi gait rehab
Long-term disability is a frequent sequel of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and takes the form of persisting motor impairments that impact walking and autonomous movement. So to improve environmental negotiation and basic care skills, independent gait is an essential therapy goal for TBI patients.    Literature shows that the best time for independent gait recovery occurs within the first few...
Evidence Based Practice Evidence Update: Rehab Gait Training with BWS June 27, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
over ground gait training
Gait rehabilitation uses both body weight supported treadmill training and over-ground training to help a client reach their maximum walking potential. With no established clinical indications, choosing between the approaches is a research-based and experience-based decision which factors in the nature of a client’s injury, timing and scope of intervention and projected outcomes. Here are two recent...
PT/OT Body Weight Supported Treadmill Walking May 02, 2017 by Justin Gilligan, PTA
assisted treadmill walking
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: Task-Specific Gait Training Improves Gait Speed January 05, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
A therapist guides a boy with cerebral palsy outside in a gait trainer using task-specific activities to help him increase his gait speed
Improving gait parameters is a primary goal of therapy intervention. One of these parameters is gait speed because we know there is a link between how fast we walk and how well we interact with our surroundings. (Just notice how frustrated your aging parents become as their gait slows them down.) Simply put, refining gait through therapy ultimately improves speed and boosts quality of life. There are a...
PT/OT The Clinical Progression: Treadmill to Overground Ambulation November 15, 2016 by Elena Noble, MPT
A young boy looks over his shoulder as a therapist guides him over-ground in a gait trainer
Gait training is central in the rehabilitation of individuals with neuromotor disabilities. In clinical circles, there is considerable debate over whether gait training is best performed over a treadmill or over ground. Is one intervention more effective than the other? The research on this topic is inconclusive at best. What we do know, however, is that studies comparing the two gait training approaches...
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