‍‍About The Patient 

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The Diagnosis: T10 AIS C incomplete SCI 

Treatment Goals: Increased confidence with a walker, improved knee control, and less reliance on arm strength for walking 

Outcomes after 5 sessions (6-week timeframe): 13% TUG Test improvement, 30% improvement on the Short Form-36 Health Survey, increased confidence and endurance 

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Jendy came to the Healing Innovations NeuroGym with a T10 spinal cord injury causing bilateral lower extremity weakness, spasticity, ultimately resulting in impaired walking function.  

She was attending physical therapy twice a week but wanted to accelerate her progress so she could walk faster and more easily with a walker, and eventually move on to community ambulation. 

“I cannot wait to use my arms freely,” she explained.

Jendy also hoped to increase her confidence with the walker, so she could start walking outdoors and doing more physical activities, and she wanted to develop better knee control to help her with movements like bending down to pick things up off the floor. 

The Rise&Walk® Sessions 

A patient’s first NeuroGym session focuses on evaluation and understanding how they will respond when using the technology. We quickly identified a heavy reliance on Jendy’s upper body due to poor stance control.  

With this in mind, Jendy’s Rise&Walk sessions focused on improving stance control, postural control, speed, and walking endurance using the Rise&Walk technology. 

To accomplish this,  her sessions in the Rise&Walk focused on evidence-based motor learning principles to optimize her outcomes. These principles included: 

1. Intensity: This meant pushing Jendy to reach her 70-85% of her heart rate max within sessions. This was achieved at a low assistance level, minimal body weight support, arm swing integration, and variable training.

2. Task Specificity: With this principle, we focused on improved knee control in stance and propulsion during toe off. By adding the armswing during her session, she could no longer over utilize her upper extremities to maintain her upright posture or  compensate for poor knee control. 

3. Salience: For Jendy, she felt safe and confident in the technology which motivated her to work at an intensity she could not achieve overground. 

4. Variable Training: We also began to introduce variable training, in the form of backward walking, isometric holds and interval training.

The Outcomes

After just 5 sessions of Rise&Walk walking therapy, Jendy demonstrated a 13% improvement in the TUG (Timed Up and Go) test, from 43 seconds down to 38 seconds. This test measures patients’ balance, mobility, gait speed, and lower extremity function. 

We also measured a slight improvement in the 10-meter walk test, and a 40-70% on the physical functioning subscale of the Short Form-36 Health Survey, which measures the physical health limitations that impact a person's everyday activities and quality of life. 

Jendy was excited by her progress and the confidence the Rise&Walk has given her.

“My Rise&Walk sessions have accelerated my progress in PT,” she reported. “I trust my right leg more.” 

If you’re interested in learning more about how the Rise&Walk can benefit your patient population, schedule a demo today.