BWSTT

• Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training  (BWSTT)

• In the early 1990-s, a few researchers liked the work veterinarians were doing lifting animals with harnesses over treadmills. They began doing work, BWSTT, with people and found incredible gait therapy improvements against a wide range of gait mobility dysfunctions from almost all pathologies. They called their work Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training (BWSTT).
•  While BWSTT was a tremendous advance over parallel bars, walkers, canes, crutches and even pool therapy, it was limited by the constrictive harness systems to only 20 to 40% Body Unweighting.
• A number of companies began to offer Harness Based BWSTT to hospitals and sports centers: Biodex, LiteGait, etc. sold to a widespread market making millions and truly helping their clients. BWSTT was a tremendous success, despite its early limitations.
• In 2005, a company called Alter G was formed. They purchased an “anti gravity” treadmill from NASA developed to help reorient astronauts to earth gravity. See www.alter-g.comto see the commercialized unit. BWSTT moved from uncomfortable harness body unweighting of 20 to 40% up to a pretty comfortable 80% body unweighting.
•  The results from work on clients ranging from stroke survivors to super athletes were stellar to say the least. The company received two 10 million dollar investments, and has the last 4 years sold over 700 units into pro sports centers, elite sports training centers, well funded hospital and therapy centers, the military and the VA in the US and Internationally. Company investors predict a 100 million dollar valuation in the next five years. No doubt, the anti-gravity units sell for 30k for the clinic or 75k for the “Professional” unit.
• In 2010, GlideCycle™ developed the GlideTrak™, and with its patented Pelvic Suspension System, achieved the most complete range of Body Unweighting: From full weight bearing to 100% unweighting!!!
• In the words of Dr. Nancy Byl, PT, MPH, PhD, FAPTA, professor emeritus of UCSF and San Francisco State University and director of the UCSFHealth and Wellness Center, The GlideTrak™ belongs in our facility and any other that can access it.

Nancy and therapists in several settings including hospitals are finding that:

• Gait improvements are occurring faster on GlideTrak™ than on the ground. People are able to walk, learn and make gait corrections even before the body is ready to walk on ground.
• People who have not been able to walk for months or years have been able to do so on the GlideTrak™ and make rapid progress. Therapists and patients have observed and reported immediate functional carryover to walking on ground.
• Examples: faster walking speed, smoother gait pattern, greater trunk rotation and arm swing, increased reported ease of gait, improved knee flexion, ankle dorsiflexion, longer strides, improved hip extension and less hip circumduction . Further, improved walking speed allowed by the GlideTrak suspension allows for improved neuroplasticity and neuromuscular control . Results have been rapid, often immediately visible. People who cannot improve gait or run on the Alter-G system have been able to on the GlideTrak. Clearly, GlideTrak™ offers advantages of greater unweighting and body support to neurological and orthopedic patients. Wow!
• Performance enhancement and accelerated recovery from injury are the most obvious benefits to athletic and fitness clients.

GlideCycle™ products offer the most affordable and effective access to Body Unweighted Treadmill Training that exists, and the world’s first Outdoor Body Unweighted Sport Runner: The GlideCycle.  See www.glidecycle.com 

CLICK HERE to contact us directly and discover how GlideTrak and GlideCycle can help you serve your clients more effectively.