LiteGait

The Lite Gait Trainer was developed in the USA to treat adults and children with neurological problems improve balance and walking abilities. It has been used when treating children with cerebral palsy and down’s syndrome to help provide a safe environment to practise balance skills, crawling and stepping skills.

I have invested in a LiteGait Model 50KX and folding Treadmill in order to provide my patients with the opportunity to access this type of equipment which would normally be difficult and expensive to access. Patients can use the LiteGait during treatment appointments with me on a Tuesday morning at Emsworth Community Centre, and I also offer the option to hire it for short periods of time for home use. (Please note that parents or carers must complete an in-house training course in its use to become confident and safe to use it with their child.)

I have selected the 50KX, a relatively small model, so that it is practical to transport it for home use, though it is large enough to straddle a small treadmill; the inside width is no more than 76cm. It is suitable for children below 148cm tall (approximately 4' 10'') and 50kg (approximately 110 lbs or 7 stones and 12 lbs)

You can find out more on the LiteGait website, including a list of benefits and some of the relevant research. You may also be interested in this review of the use of treadmills in the treatment of children. (The paper is by "Zwicker, Jill G.; Mayson, Tanja A.", appeared in the journal "Pediatric Physical Therapy. 22(4):361-377, Winter 2010" and is described as "A systematic review of the effectiveness of treadmill training and body weight support in pediatric care.)

During the initial assessment for any new patient, I will consider whether the LiteGait may be useful during treatment, and I am happy to demonstrate the equipment to patients and carers - please just ask.

This web page is written in PHP and validates as strict HTML4.01
This page was written by Robin Hall and is ©2013 Gina Farmer