Lite Gait Lecture Flashcards
What approach does the lite gait equipment take?
Approach to restoring locomotor function through the application of an overhead harness to support a patient’s weight while ambulating either over ground or on a treadmill
Where is manual assistance usually provided with the lite gait ?
Usually provided by the therapist to further guide the legs and/or trunk through a “normal” gait trajectory
What should we do as our patients improve with the lite gait
As individuals improve their locomotor abilities, training parameters like body weight and speed are usually adjusted and manual assistance if provided is reduced.
Just like all our other interventions — see what they can do —> intervene to help —> they get better —> back off a bit
What patient populations can use the lite gait?
- By diagnoses — neuro, ortho, pediatric
- By clinical impairments — balance deficits, strength deficits, motor control deficits, postural control deficits, endurance deficits
- By functional impairments — gait
What are the contraindications for the harness and lite gait?
- when loading of the hip, pelvic, abdominal, or chest regions is prohibited by physician orders — harness will compress these regions
— patients with orders for NWB or decreased WB through legs - acute fractured ribs (until new bone formation begins) — the harness will cause shear forces that will impair their healing
- over wound vacuum assisted closures in harness regions
- pregnancy
What are strong precautions for using the harness and lite gait?
- DVT
- Spondylolisthesis
- large disc bulge/rupture with acute or worsening neurological signs
- abdominal aortic aneurysm
- known metastasis in harness region
- wounds under the area of harness contact
What are overall harness precautions?
- gastrointestinal tube
- colostomy
- baclofen pump
- catheter
- compromised skin integrity
- absent sensation
- acute post hip surgery
- acute abdominal surgery
What is the rationale for use of a lite gait?
- motor learning paradigm
- MSK
- psychological — reducing the fear of falling is huge
- locomotor central pattern generator
- safety
What are the motor learning rationales for using the lite gait?
- use of partial body weight support system can provide task specific, whole practice for locomotor training
- lower metabolic demand of partial body weight support system for locomotor training may allow client to
— practice for longer periods of time
— at a faster pace
— thus affording more opportunity for practice longer time x faster pace = more steps
What are the MSK rationales for using lite gait?
- provides unweighting through joints during gait, reduce pain, and allowing for earlier mobilization
- provide unweighting through joints during gait allows for greater range of motion at joints
- similar concept to use of buoyancy of water in therapeutic pools
What are the psychological rationales for using lite gait?
- reduction of fear of falling during ambulation is so important
- impression of high tech equipment — they feel like they are getting the best of the best treatments
What is the central pattern generator rationale for using lite gait?
- locomotor CPG relies on specific sensory information for trigger, modification of pattern in response to enviornment
- use of partial body weight system may be more optimal environment to provide required sensory information to CPG
What are the safety rationales for use of lite gait?
- probs most important
- allow to safety ambulate patient that may be at high risk to fall for variety of factors (size, ataxia, apraxia, impulsivity)
- reduce number of staff required to provide safe environment for ambulation
When going to use a lite gait what do we have to take into account?
- set up
- therapist position
- parameters
- progression
- treadmill vs. Overground
Watch video on set up from lab
Watch video no set up from lab
