Benefits of Standing

We have just completed this short video of the new EasyStand Bantam standing frame for kids. The video is an overview of the Bantam features, options, and benefits of standing for kids. This video below is from YouTube, but you can also find this video online at easystand.com on the Bantam page or the videos page. It is about five minutes long.

Because I sit in my wheelchair most of the day, my trunk muscles are not strong enough to steady my gun. Standing in my EasyStand helps me to steady my hand, making it easier to hit my targets.

One of the many activities I enjoy while standing is target practicing in from my patio. By utilizing my EasyStand Evolv stander, I feel it gives me the true position needed to target practice.

First of all, Iʼm in a standing position. Second, the tray on top of the standing frame helps steady my shot. Third, I have a better view. Finally, the support and balance the standing frame gives me is by far the most beneficial.

With all things considered, the stander helps prepare me for the real hunt. Thanks to EasyStand for improving my quality of life as a T5 paraplegic.

To read more about Jadian Foley, his activities, and standing routine, read his EasyStand customer story.

Does standing help you perform tasks or activities that are otherwise more difficult when in a wheelchair? What activities do you do while standing?

Hi! My name is Ginny Paleg and I am a pediatric physical therapist in Maryland. My specialty is getting children with severe gross motor dysfunction (GMFCS Level IV and V) to take steps in gait trainers. To get to this goal, I use passive standing, body weight supported gait therapy over a treadmill, and am investigating passive/assisted cycling and vibration platforms. My “dissertation” (final project for my DScPT) was a systematic review on passive standing and a webinar presenting what I found. I sorted the articles by level of evidence, clinical outcomes, diagnosis, type of stander, and length of standing time.

I hope the flow charts can help folks decide how long to stand, which type of standing device to use, typical complications of standing, as well as appropriate measurable attainable clinical goals of standing. I included research studies on standing combined with oscillation, vibration, electrical stimulation and exercise programs.

Check out my Supported Standing webinar and other supporting materials, such as the Synthesized Literature Review on Standing Therapy (PDF) on the EasyStand website. I hope you find this information useful. I would appreciate feedback, questions and/or comments!

Goto www.easystand.com/ginny to see the Free Webinar on Standing Therapy!

Ryan has Cerebral Palsy and uses a power wheelchair for mobility, but doesn’t let his disability slow him down. He does fun therapy in his standing frame, walker, and bike to keep his muscles strong for other activities. He goes horseback riding, skis, swims, and does many other things that able-bodied kids do. His mom, Luann, shares how Ryan stays healthy and active through daily standing therapy and a variety of other great activities.

When you see Ryan, you see a glowing kid, full of potential. Ryan started standing in an EasyStand Magician-ei when he was only three years old; he worked his way up to an EasyStand Magician Comfy and is a third grader already! We had the pleasure of meeting Ryan at his home during a photo shoot with the new EasyStand Bantam. In this video, you see Ryan standing in the Magician-ei, Magician Comfy, and Bantam.

What do you think of Ryan’s story? What activities do you do for fun?

Matt building strength in the EasyStand Evolv Glider at Project Walk, in Carlsbad, CA.

It’s not everyday that you meet a person like Matt Courson. Matt is a 23 year old college student from Arkansas, who is a T7 Incomplete paraplegic. He is determined, hard-working, and the type of guy that you just sense the great attitude oozing out of him. I say this without meeting him face-to-face, but feel like I have after seeing him on youtube, Mattcourson.org, Facebook, and even the Washington Post.

Through his rehab programs at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, & Project Walk in Carlsbad, California, and hours of rehab at home, Matt is working towards becoming the 1%. To understand what it means to be the 1%, know that his doctors told him that there was a 99% chance that he would never walk again.

Earlier this year, the Washington Post wrote an article about Kennedy Krieger Institute and activity-based restorative therapy. It includes interviews with Pat Rummerfield, who after 17 years of therapy has regained his ability to walk, and Matt Courson who seems to be following in his footsteps with his hard work, faith and determination.

Matt Courson uses the EasyStand Glider stander, combined with electrical stimulation, to gain strength, build muscle mass, and ultimately achieve his goal of walking on his own again one day.

Watch the Washington Post Video “Possibilities for the Impossible”

What do you think of the Washington Post’s article and video, Medical Marvel- Possibilities for the Impossible?

I’ve had my standing frame for over a decade. I think I received it in 1994, but it’s been so long now I can barely remember. The exact date I got my standing frame is besides the point though. The worthwhile thing to blog about? The fact that my standing frame, an EasyStand 2400, still works as good as the day I got it. Now that’s something to write home about.

It can be a chore (at least for me) to work standing into my everyday, stressful schedule. As a freelance writer, a C6 quad, and someone who depends on PCA’s everyday (and does her own staffing to boot) my life is chock full of things that need to be taken care of. Taking a break from everything and putting things on hold as I stand for a 1/2 hour can feel counterproductive.

But at the heart of things I know it isn’t. In fact, after I stand I feel happier and ready to take on the day. Knowing my body is still able to stand is a huge ego-boost. Sounds silly, I know, but it’s the truth. So over the years I’ve learned how to multitask while standing. Just look at this pic taken this morning of me working on my laptop and drinking my morning coffee, all while I stand:

Here I am, drinking coffee and working on my laptop while standing in my EasyStand.

So in conclusion, it’s just a matter of life organization, in re: to working your stander into your life. It may feel like your dragging your sorry butt to the gym on a day you’d rather be in bed sleeping, but take it from me, it’ll still feel worth it when you’re done; and you’ll be very glad you did it. It’s a more-than-beneficial work-out.

I’m very lucky to have my standing frame, even if it’s over 10 years old. A standing frame may cost x number of dollars, but being able to stand? Priceless.

Playing while standing stimulates interaction, development, and fun.

Often we talk about what standing does for the body, but what is commonly overlooked, is what standing does for the mind. Standing is especially important for the mental development of the children with disabilities. When I talk to pediatric therapists, they appreciate and understand first-hand how standing can help with range of motion, spasticity, bowel/bladder function and the many of the other physical benefits of standing. But what I hear about most is how standing helps with perceptual development, cognitive awareness and very importantly, how standing can stimulate play. More and more research is finding that play deprivation for able-bodied children can lead to self-esteem, social interaction, and intellectual problems. The value of play for the child with a disability is often overlooked but is necessary for mental development and upper extremity muscle function and coordination. When a child is sitting for long periods of time, head and trunk control often fatigue and awareness diminishes. When a child stands with head control facilitated, play activities can be more stimulating and more interactive with peers, and the child can use their arms and hands more effectively.

As we understand that play is a necessary part of human development, it is obvious that play is also a great joy in life. As adults we should do our best to facilitate and provide play to all children. Here are some ideas of activities that a child can do while standing. What have you experienced regarding kids and play while standing?

Whenever my wife, Desiree, and I go on trips, my stander is among one of the top things that I can’t wait to get home to.

I have had T-5 paraplegia since July 7, 2003. Among the medical equipment that makes my life easier is the Evolv Mobile stander. I originally had the EasyStand 5000 and upgraded to the EasyStand Evolv about 6 months ago. The Evolv Mobile standing frame improves my overall quality of life! It is so nice to have things that make my life ‘normal.’

I experience endless benefits from standing including (but not limited to) decreased spasticity, increased circulation, temporary relief from my nerve pain, and most importantly my independence! I love that I do not always have to rely on other people to get me things. With my old standing frame I was just stuck in one place while I stood, because it did not have the mobility option.

I am a religious stander! Sometimes I stand for hours at a time. With my EasyStand Mobile standing frame I am able to wheel myself around anywhere I want to go. I like to wheel outside on the driveway to enjoy the weather.

Another thing I can do much easier is prepare meals for myself in the kitchen. I can move about the kitchen to the cupboards, refrigerator, and stove. I am able to stand right above the stove as opposed to having the flame on the stove right near my face. I also play games, read, eat and relax in my standing frame. Without it I would be hurting. Whenever my wife and I go on trips, my stander is among one of the top things that I can’t wait to get home to. I am thankful to have this helpful equipment!

My EasyStand Customer Story- PDF
YouTube Video of Me Using the EasyStand

My life changed completely in November 1994 when I became a T8-9 paraplegic as a result of a car accident. I was 3 weeks shy of my 17th birthday. I wouldn’t say the accident was a change for-the-worse, just a change; a re-conceptualization of who I was and who I was to become, living a life from a wheelchair. I have to say that I did everything I could to not let it hold me back. With support from my wonderful family and friends, I continued on with my life. But… in all of these years that have passed (it has been almost 14 years now), I have never stopped thinking, dreaming about the day when a cure for spinal cord injuries would emerge. I want to walk, I want to feel the sand and surf on my feet, I want to be able to play sports again, I want to be able to go to the bathroom normally, I want back everything I lost at the moment of the car accident.

So what have I been doing all of these years to stay positive and prepare myself for the day that a cure may come, you may wonder? Staying active has been the key. Right after my accident I purchased a Power Trainer, which I used in spurts over the years I’ve had it. But I really didn’t seriously start focusing on my health and physical activity until about 4 years ago. I started going to the gym and working with a personal trainer one to two times per week. I started handcycling during the spring, summer, and fall months. And, I was fortunate to find Altimate Medical and their EasyStand 6000 Glider (now the EasyStand Evolv Glider) at the NY Metro Abilities Expo. They allowed me to try it out right there and I was sold!

I received my EasyStand Glider in 2005. One of the biggest changes that I saw from standing, and it was almost immediate, was that the chronic swelling that I had in my ankles went away. I could actually see my ankle bones again! I would stand for about 30 minutes to an hour per time, and I would do this a few times per week. I would love to say that I stand every day, and I wish that I did, but I live a very active lifestyle, work full-time, etc. So when I can stand, I do. I know that it will only help me maintain my range of motion, provide weight bearing through my bones to maintain bone density, and improve my circulation to my legs. And it has proven to eliminate the swelling from my ankles! I feel that standing is one of the best things that I can possibly do to prepare myself for the day a cure may come along!

I have been lucky to keep up on all of this talk about the cure through an organization with which I actively volunteer. I am a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Buoniconti Fund. For those of you who are not familiar with the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, it is the fund raising arm of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and there are local chapters across the US. I learned of my local chapter three years ago (it is now in its 5th year of existence), and knew that I had to get involved so that I was helping raise money to find the cure.

I just recently returned home from an amazing trip to the Miami Project in Florida where I attended The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis 2008 Chapters Summit. I was able to tour their state-of-the-art research facility, hear research updates from their renowned physicians and scientists, and finally meet Marc Buoniconti, President of the Buoniconti Fund. It was an extremely enlightening experience, and I have more certainty than ever that I, and everyone else affected by Spinal Cord Injuries, will be walking in the near future. The scientists attested that they are closer than ever to finding ways to improve, and possibly even cure, both acute and chronic spinal cord injuries. The possibility of starting human clinical trials is in sight. What a refreshing, uplifting feeling this was for me! So my drive to stay active, to stand more, and to fundraise even harder has been reinforced, and I am not going to give up on these things until the day when the cure becomes a reality!

The Philadelphia Chapter will be hosting it’s Fifth Annual Raise A Glass For A Cure fundraising event on Thursday, Novermber 20, 2008 at the Diamond Club at Citizen’s Bank Park. For information on attending the event or becoming involved with the Philadelphia Chapter, or to learn about sponsorship opportunities or making donations towards our event, please contact Sally Woolf, Volunteer Regional Director of the Philadelphia Chapter, at (610) 356-3252.