Locomat Walking

Walking on the locomat. You are strapped into an extremely tight, corset-like, harness, and then mechanical legs are fit around your legs. The device measures the amount of effort/function you have, and the therapists can adjust how much the machine does vs the function of the individual. A threshold can be set and if you achieve and maintain the level, you get reinforcement with a smiley face - haha. Use of (and benefit from) the locomat is controversial. It seems to have the most benefit to incomplete injuries. Others feel that old school walking with the aid of a therapist is the best approach - I tend to agree.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• c5-c6
• incomplete
• spinal cord injury
• locomat
• relearning to walk
• quadriplegia

[bbburdie1]

There is no possible way I would ever let them put me back in this machine. They don't bother to show how they put you in a harness so tight you can't hardly move or breathe then they hang you up like a side of beef while they put you into the machine. Your foot falls out of the stirrup so they are always turning it off to fix your dragging foot. There are so many adjustments from person to person...this is by far the worst experience I've had with post-stroke equipment.