Improving patients’ gait mechanics is often the first step in helping patients return to activities of daily living. Featured here are some of the latest gait-analysis and gait-training tools available today to help you put your patients on the road to recovery.

Hands-Free Support

The Up n’ Go, by Easy Walking, helps patients walk independently while keeping their hands free for use. Professional and family caregivers can adjust the Up n’ Go as needed to deliver the amount of support required when allowing the user to stand, sit, and walk. The risk of falling is greatly reduced, because the support harness causes the user’s center of gravity to always be inside the frame. Because the Up n’ Go rolls easily, the user can walk with a substantially normal gait. The partial weight-bearing lift allows users to stand tall without needing to support their weight with their upper extremities. For more information, contact Easy Walking, 1478 Dillon Rd, Maple Glen, PA 19002; (215) 654-1626; www.easy-walking.com.

Bipedal Plantar Pressure Recorder

The F-Scan® Mobile System, by Tekscan Inc, is a complete system that records bipedal plantar pressure and allows gait analysis for sports applications, such as running, soccer, baseball, basketball, walking, hockey, football, skiing, and more. The F-Scan allows therapists to observe gait abnormalities, regulate weight-bearing in relation to the patients’ sports or after surgery, and assess deviated Center of Force trajectories due to pronation or supination. The lightweight and portable system has no cables that extend from the computer to the patient. For more information, contact Tekscan Inc, 307 W First St, South Boston, MA 02127; (617) 464-4500; www.tekscan.com.

Biofeedback Treadmill

The new Gait Trainer 2 treadmill, by Biodex, features an instrument deck that monitors and records step length, step speed, and step symmetry (right-to-left time distribution). Patients are motivated by the real-time audio and visual biofeedback, and they are prompted into proper gait patterns. Biofeedback helps patients stay “on target” in each phase of rehabilitation, which lengthens patients’ steps, increases their step speed, and improves their symmetry. The Gait Trainer 2 also features an open platform that offers unobstructed use with unweighing systems. For more information, contact Biodex, 20 Ramsey Rd, Shirley, NY 11967; (800) 224-6339; www.biodex.com.

Pediatric Mobility Device

The Walkable™ partial weight-bearing gait-therapy device, by Mobility Research, is the pediatric version of the LiteGait®. The Walkable safely supports children while walking on treadmills or over ground, learning to walk upright, standing, and playing. It also teaches proper patterns earlier in the rehabilitation process and supports weak sides for improved positioning, freeing therapists to facilitate proper gait. The height-adjustable Walkable accommodates the range of developmental positions that lead to standing and walking. For more information, contact Mobility Research, PO Box 3141, Tempe, AZ 85280; (800) 332-9255; www.walkable.com.

Stride-to-Stride Measurement

The GAITRite Portable Walkway System, by MAP/CIR Inc, offers accurate gait-analysis measurements. With GAITRite, therapists can measure cadence, step length, velocity, and other gait parameters. Therapists can also assess step-to-step variability for cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease; determine dynamic balance; and predict fall risk. All parameters can be tracked, reported, and graphed within minutes. For more information, contact MAP/CIR Inc, 60 Garlor Dr, Havertown, PA 19083; (800) 352-2301; www.gaitrite.com.

Standing Aid

Altimate Medical offers the EasyStand® Evolv™, which is now available with 32 different options that are easy to adjust and can be added or removed as needed to the Evolv’s modular base. The EasyStand Evolv features: a Back Angle Adjustment Wheel for quick, accurate positioning of the back angle; Independent Roho® Kneepads, which maximize pressure relief on the knees; a Quad Grip Actuator Handle for users with limited gripping capabilities; and a Universal Lateral Support Receiver, which adapts to fit lateral supports from AEL®, Stealth®, and AES®. For more information, contact Altimate Medical, 262 W First St, Morton, MN 56270; (800) 342-8968; www.easystand.com.