Dynamic standing frame

Dynamic standing frame with gait function WalkStander Sport

The WalkStander Sport dynamic standing frame with gait function is a unique and technologically advanced device designed for active rehabilitation of physically disabled people. The idea of designing a new type of standing frame has appeared as a result of many years of research on mapping gait kinematics of people with various dysfunctions of the locomotor system. The device offers its users a unique functionality, which combines the verticalization function with the ability to perform therapeutic walks. A disabled user can perform steps similar to the physiological gait of a healthy person. WalkStander Sport is an excellent rehabilitation tool that can be used both in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, and above all at home. The use of this tool depends on many factors, the most important are: medical indications, the method and place of rehabilitation and the patient’s motivation. Regular gait training in the standing frame contributes to improving general health status of the disabled user.

The WalkStander Sport standing frame is a class I medical device approved by the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products in Poland. It is manufactured to individual order and meets all safety requirements. Each standing frame is made with the greatest precision and care, from the best quality steel and high-quality components.

Who is the WalkStander Sport intended for?

The WalkStander Sport  is intended for rehabilitation of adults who have lost the ability to move independently in an upright position due to:

– spinal cord damage,

– cranial trauma,

– stroke,

– balance disorders,

– neurological diseases,

– significant loss of muscle strength caused by old age diseases,

– prolonged lying down due to illness, surgery or bone fractures.

WalkStander Sport is a multifunctional device thanks to its modular design that can be adapted to the individual needs and capabilities of each disabled user.

Place of use of the WalkStander Sport dynamic standing frame

Rehabilitation in the WalkStander Sport dynamic stander can be performed in closed rooms, such as an apartment, a gym or an exercise room in a rehabilitation center. The width of the device is only 580-640 mm, so it passes through almost all door openings without any problems and can therefore be successfully used at home. The condition, however, is lack of thresholds and that the floor is free. There are no carpets or other obstacles on the floor. It is allowed to use the WalkStander Sport outdoors. The condition, is that the ground  must be flat asphalt or concrete. When using the device on concrete or asphalt ground, it should be taken into account that the rollers and the base wheels will wear much faster and  need to be replaced more often.

Active rehabilitation with WalkStander Sport

The dynamic stander Walkstander Sport meets the needs of people with disabilities in so-called active rehabilitation based on active participation of a physically disabled person in recovery process and regaining the lost movement functions. Independent and regular gait training in the device can be excellent complement to the therapy conducted in rehabilitation centers under the supervision of therapists.

Systematic and independent active rehabilitation brings tangible results in the form of:

– improvement of physical performance of the patient,

– improvement of the patients overall well-being,

– increasing the range of joint mobility,

– preventing formation of contractures in the joints.

– preventing rapid bone loss (osteoporosis),

– increasing cardio-respiratory capacity,

– improving functioning of the digestive system,

– reducing the risk of certain diseases: coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, some cancers.

The WalkStander Sport dynamic stander – staying active despite your disability

Gait training performed in the WalkStander Sport dynamic standing frame apart from its basic rehabilitation function, can also provide an appropriate daily dose of physical activity, which is necessary to maintain the health of every human being. Walking independently in the device requires moderate physical activity and energy use, which helps to maintain a normal body weight. After mastering the gait technique, it is possible to walk a distance from several hundred to 1000 m (or more) in 1 hour of training. When weather conditions are favorable, training can be carried out outdoors. None of the devices currently available on the market offers people with paraplegia such possibilities.

Verticalization with standing frame WalkStander Sport

Upright positioning is the first and very important stage in the process of regaining the ability to walk independently. It consists in placing the body of a disabled person in a standing position. The vertical positioning of the patient’s body is also a stage necessary to start gait training in the WalkStander Sport standing frame.

Getting up from a sitting position in the wheelchair to a standing position in the WalkStander Sport device is similar as in most types of standing frames, i.e. the patient must lift the body on his own or with help of another person(s) and take upright position. The device provides three-point support for individual parts of the body. If a patient is unable to keep the trunk in an upright position on his own, then a chest support will be needed. In the WalkStander Sport it is a trunk stabilizer. The patient can get up from the wheelchair and get back into it on his own only if he has mastered getting up technique well and is able to do it completely  safely. If the patient is able to stand on his own and feels good and comfortable in an upright position, he can start walking in the WalkStander Sport.

Walking in the WalkStander Sport

Properly performed gait is intuitive and requires little effort. However, before the user can move efficiently in the device, he must first learn how to take the steps correctly. The most important thing while walking is proper hands work, i.e. both hands work alternately all the time. While the right hand lifts one lever up, the left hand pushes the other lever down at the same time.Mastering this technique is tantamount to mastering the gait technique. This process usually takes from a few to several weeks.

In the walking process in the WalkStander Sport hands are used only to operate the walking levers and are not involved in maintaining patient’s balance while standing. The standing position is always very safe for the user (apart from deliberate action by the user or other persons) and is not possible for the device to tip over with the patient inside, both while standing and walking.

While walking the ground on which we walk is also very important. If the ground is even, then walking is easier than on uneven ground. Walking up a slight hill is also more difficult.

Walking in the WalkStander Sport standing frame is similar to the gait of an able-bodied person.  Each step is taken with bending a leg at the knee, a slight lowering of the center of gravity and slight rotation of the pelvis. It is a gait similar to the anatomical gait of a human.

To be considered as similar to the anatomical gait of a healthy person, it must consist of the following phases of movement:

– lifting a thigh and bending a leg at the knee

– straightening of a lower leg with a slight shift of the center of gravity forward

– lowering the center of gravity and putting foot on the ground

Passive walking with the help of a caregiver

In the case of quadriplegia and high spinal cord injuries, post-stroke conditions, movement coordination disorders, full or partial lack of contact with the patient, walking with the patient is possible only with assistance of a caregiver. In this case, special levers for the caregiver are mounted to the front parts of walking mechanism drive levers, the height of the hand grips is adjusted accordingly and then the caregivers operates both levers. The principle of taking individual steps is the same as described above for unassisted walking.

Device specifications

Contraindications

The only contraindications to the use of the WalkStander Sport may be medical contraindications, excessive patient weight or room conditions that prevent the effective use of the utility functions of this device.