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DEVELOPMENTAL MOVEMENT PATTERNS

Body weight support is a rehabilitation technique that involves suspending a portion of the person’s body weight in a harness. This harness allows us to safely move clients into many positions including standing, walking, kneeling, crawling and cycling. Some of the benefits of body weight support include: 

 

  • Gait training: While using a body weight support device, we are able to work on gait training with clients. The body weight support device allows individuals to walk with enough weight and sensory input through their feet to increase the weight bearing benefits and increase the amount of feedback the nervous system received, while preventing fall risks and other risks of injury. When walking in a rhythmic pattern, we are able to activate central pattern generators, which increases the activation of the muscles used to walk. This helps to retrain the neural pathways, promote motor learning and improve walking abilities. 

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  • Promotes muscle activity: with partial body weight support, individuals can engage in weight bearing exercises even if they are unable to fully support their body weight. This helps improve muscle strength and prevents muscle atrophy. 

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  • Improved circulation and bone density: weight bearing exercises help stimulate blood circulation and maintain bone density. This can help prevent blood clots and osteoporosis. 

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  • Improve balance and postural control: body weight support systems can be adjusted to provide varying levels of support, which allows the trainers to challenge individuals posture and balance.

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