Using the
TotaLift II and Gait Harness System, transferring is made safe, without complex
bending and lifting during transfer, for earlier therapy participation
One Possible Solution for People who Need Extra Help to Walk
For TBI
Using Gait
Harness System, TBI walks again after 23 years
TBI taking First Steps
For LE Amputee with SCI
LE Amputee
with T11/12 Incomplete SCI walks again after 15 years
Second Step- JT Finds a Process that Works
For SCI complete
T6 Complete
SCI walks again
Second
Step with Eric Walking Again
Gait Harness System Veteran’s
Hospital Testimonials
“Thank
you for the comprehensive information you provided on the “Second Step”
program. The program is most creative. It should provide much needed
rehabilitation support for individuals with disabilities in long term care
facilities. Wishing you every success."
-Margaret Giannini,
M.D., F.A.A.P, Director, Office on Disability, Health and Human Services,
Washington DC
VA Research Center
“Patients cannot fall using this
system as the harness is designed to support their full body weight if
necessary. No walker or cane can compare to the safety of this system.”
-Nicole Prieto-Lewis,
Director of the Gait and Balance Laboratory, Gainesville VA, Gainesville FL
“Due to the lack of nursing staff
nationwide, there is an inability for a skeleton staff to provide restorative
nursing care, i.e. walking programs. I think the Gait Harness System can help
provide a solution to this program by having the staff place patients in the
Gait Harness System and have them be free to ambulate on a daily basis while
they take care of other patients at the same time. Of course this works well
with the patients that require supervision or contact guard assistance,”
-Nicole
Prieto-Lewis, Director of the Gait and Balance Laboratory, Gainesville VA,
Gainesville FL
In the Home
“We have been using the Second Step
gait trainer for our son Joseph to train him in walking with his full weight on
his feet. It will take him a long time to learn to walk by himself, even with a
walker. But with this trainer he can develop his movement safely.”
-Richard A. Loyer, 87 year
old parent trainer
Testimonial from Debbie Pitsch, PT
Palo Alto Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center VA Palo Alto Health Care
System
April 2008
Although
I have limited experience with the Gait Harness System (GHS), I have experienced
positive outcomes with using the device with the TBI population. The device
allows for early gait training which helped both patients feel successful in
working towards their goals of independent ambulation. The GHS is a safe way to
work on motor control/motor learning while the therapist can focus on
facilitating a more normal gait cycle. I have also found the GHS promotes a
faster gait velocity which is difficult to obtain with over the ground
ambulation (without the use of a treadmill). The benefits I have noticed are the
following:
-comfortable harness that the
patient can take sitting rest breaks in
-safe way to provide early
gait training
-allows the therapist to
focus on facilitation techniques vs. holding a patient upright
-encourages independence
-can be used outdoors to help
people psychologically
-can ambulate further
distances and work on endurance (less therapist fatigue)
-can be used to perform
sporting activities to work on balance/strength
Many brain injured patients have
poor insight and are impulsive, therefore the GHS would be a good option for a
patient at high risk for falls to walk safely with trained family/staff members.
I can also see the potential benefits of using the GHS with amputee patients who
are fearful of falling and can promote less dependence on the parallel bars.
The most commonly reported goal that
patients report is to be able to walk again and the GHS allows for early gait
training in a safe environment to progress patients quickly out of the parallel
bars and improve overall endurance. I would also recommend a trial with the GHS
to work on balance training if a patient is having frequent falls at home.
In general, I do not have enough
experience to comment on the area of psychological benefits with our active
duty/veteran population, but the GHS may reduce anxiety/fear of falling and
improve motivation.
Sincerely, Debbie
Pitsch, PT Palo
Alto Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center
Gait Harness System Veteran’s Hospital Case
Studies
“Proper attention should be to the
harness and its ability to transfer a variety of individuals (obese, tall…)
without compromising skin integrity. I can personally attest to skin tears
(acute and in-patient). Your Gait Harness allows therapists to safely transfer
their patients from a bed to a wheelchair (that alone can be a daunting task in
an acute setting). The GHS as a whole allows for a therapist to efficiently
address the needs of patient from the acute to chronic setting. I see the
application as encompassing everything from acute to outpatient.”
-William
Thornton, Senior Physical Therapist, Center for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery,
Rehab Institute of Michigan, Detroit MI
Type of Facility: Veteran’s
Hospital (SCI Unit)
Frequency of Use: 3-5x/week
Diagnosis: 37 y/o male with
Guillain Barre
Functional Status: At
evaluation: patient was dependent with standing and walking activities.
Treatment History/Interventions:
Standing and walking activities within the Gait Harness System. Patient worked
on scissor gait with a thera-band around the thigh cuff of the gait harness.
Balance activities were done outside of the system.
Outcomes: Patient was seen
for 2 ˝ weeks of therapy and will be d/c ambulating independently with a
straight cane.
Type of Facility: Veteran’s
Hospital (CVA/Polio)
Diagnosis: Post Polio of 30+
years
History: Patient was very
eager to ambulate with walker and strengthen LE’s. Severe LE muscular atrophy
Ambulatory Device: Uses
scooter for primary means of locomotion
Treatment History/Interventions:
Pt. is petite older gentleman with severe lower extremity muscular atrophy and
adult sized equipment is too large. Also, there is no way help patient weight
shift in standing table and no way to facilitate LE strengthening once in a
standing position. Thus, with all of the above mentioned that is why the primary
PT started with the Gait Harness System. The Gait Harness System allowed the
therapist to use a pediatric medium harness and also provide pelvis facilitory
techniques to the patient while standing. After static standing improved the
therapist was able to initiate LE strengthening while standing with thera-tubing
with the utilization of Gait Harness thigh cuffs that have d-rings for tubing
attachment.
Outcomes: Patient made steady
progress over several months and now able to do more functional tasks with less
fatigue and less fear of falling.
Plan: Ongoing
Type of Facility: Veteran’s
Hospital (SCI Unit)
Frequency of Use: 3-5x/week
Diagnosis: T1-L1 Incomplete
Spinal Cord Injury
Treatment History/Interventions:
Standing and walking activities within the Gait Harness System. They felt
comfortable enough to have patient stand alone with supervision.
Outcomes: Was discharged home
ambulating with a cane
Type of Facility: Veteran’s
Hospital (Rehab Unit)
Diagnosis: Traumatic Brain
Injury x 8 years (long-term care resident)
Functional Status: Patient
has very little trunk stability so needs to walk with some assistive device or
he loses his balance.
Treatment History/Interventions:
He has developed bad habits over the last 8 years when he walks. The therapist
has been teaching him to ambulate within the GHS upright and to correct gait
deviations. His progress is slow.
Outcomes: Patient is able to
walk with more control and stability within the system.
Type of Facility: Veteran’s
Hospital (Rehab Unit)
Diagnosis: Traumatic Brain
Injury (June 2003)
Treatment History/Interventions:
The therapist was able to work with his balance deficits and he was able to
regain his balance very quickly. The therapist also has placed resistance tubing
around the thigh cuffs for resistance training. Second Step suggested beginning
higher level balance training using ball toss and cone activities as a
progression to patient’s program.
Outcomes: This patient was
seen for a couple of weeks and had already progressed out of the GHS to a
rolling walker. He is now able to transfer and walk independently with the
walker around the unit.
Second Step, Inc. 2008. Website design
by
Meier Consulting Services
