Clayton is one of the hardest cases the therapists at his clinic have ever dealt with. They have all been at a standstill of ideas for a couple of years now as he has seemed to reach a plateau on progress in gross motor skills. This is why we were all excited for him to try out a new piece of equipment at the clinic: the LiteGait. Clayton was chosen to demo it with the rep from the company and by the end of her "session" with him, he was walking easily on the treadmill, doing about 60% of the work himself!
It took a lot of trouble shooting to figure out what setup would be best for Clayton. The rep ended up taking his AFO's (ankle/foot orthotics) off, taping his left leg for better position, and eventually adding another therapist for better control. After all these tweaks, Clayton got into a smooth rhythm of walking with their help.
Most of my video is of her trying to figure out what would work best for Clayton. I didn't video much of his actual walking. By the end of the session, he had walked 300 ft. YAY!
This machine is going to be great for Clayton! For one, his therapist basically has another set of hands to help her with the positioning of his upper body, which means she can concentrate on helping him with his legs and feet. It can be used for more than just walking activities, even sitting to standing practice. Not to mention the impact it will have on his endurance!
Our physical therapy goals for Clayton are simpler than ever these days. We would simply love for him to be strong enough to help us transition him from one place to another. I'm hoping this equipment will help build those muscles he needs to help us help him.
4 comments:
Thank you sharing this. I posted your story on our LiteGait page on facebook. Clayton has a beautiful smile. Keep up the good work.
what a great advancementin therapy for Clayton!
Excellent. Emma enjoys doing this in PT--when they take time to set it all up for her. Clayton looks great doing it too. He has such a wonderful presence and personality. He loves his Momma. I could tell he was excited about it once it go going.
I found you through another blog I read. I just wanted to say your son brought a big smile to my face. What a ray of sunshine. I pray his therapy continues to improve his day to day well being. God Bless.
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