Clinical Case Studies

The staff at NVTC has figured out the perfect way to get standing time in for their clients by working it into normal day to day activities. Terri Davis, PT at NVTC explains, "The EasyStand programs are integrated into the daily routine: music group, movie time, 'strolling' down the hall to pet therapy, taking a ride on the elevator, etc. There are some lucky individuals who even get to stand at their off site 'workshop'."

As physical therapists working at Gillette Lifetime Specialty Healthcare Clinic in Minnesota, my co-workers and I have helped nearly a hundred people obtain standers for home and community use. We primarily work with those who are 16 years old and older, with conditions such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Our clients report many improvements in their function, health and well being after using the stander.

Jessica was twenty-two years old with cerebral palsy. She was living at a foster care facility and had graduated from high school the previous year.

As the coordinator of a seating and positioning clinic, I am asked to assist with ordering all types of durable medical equipment. Wheelchairs are my most frequent referral because doctors and therapists understand the importance of mobility and proper positioning to prevent deformities. Unfortunately, in their attempt to maximize their client’s function, doctors frequently forget the one device that can improve a person’s quality of life: a stander.

One of the most common problems for residents with chronic or debilitating diseases entering long-term care is social isolation. At the Baptist Home Inc., Bismarck, N.D., we use standing therapy as a means to promote socialization for our residents who can not stand independently.

We have probably all seen the effects of immobilization, from the contracted stroke patient to the decreased muscle tone of the paraplegic. For many of those patients, life with a wheelchair is a given. But with the use of a stander, some of those conditions can be lessened. And in most cases the quality of life can be improved.

In November of 1999, I was invited to attend a task force meeting with the staff form the Oregon Medical Assistance Program (OMAP) to discuss coverage issues of the EasyStand standers. The then existing allowable for "standing device" including prone stander, supine stander, and standing frame was substantially below the cost for the EasyStand line.

A motor vehicle accident rendered Jennifer a T12-L1 paraplegic. But her story doesn’t end there; Jennifer’s secondary complications came after her injury. Approximately one year post, Jennifer was admitted to the hospital with a stage four ischemic ulcer. Since the ulcer was over 14 cm deep and 6 cm in diameter, Jennifer was a candidate for muscle flap surgery. Being aware of the high failure rate of this surgery, Brenlee Mogul-Rotman, OT, prescribed not only high-profile air cushions and mattresses but also the EasyStand Glider. Two years later, Jen continues to utilize the Glider daily and has successfully avoided any recurrences of skin breakdown.

Available in video format on the Standing 101 Seminar Program or DVD.

Laura Krueger, PT, met Anthony when he was three years old. He was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, had some sitting balance, and moved with a commando-type crawl. His strength and endurance made it difficult for him to move his manual wheelchair. Laura started Anthony’s standing program with a prone mobile stander and transitioned him into a sit-to-stand stander that he could use in the classroom, a great (manual) wheel chair alternative. Three years later, Anthony is able to self transfer into an EasyStand Magician Mobile and independently wheels himself to the lunchroom.

Available in video format on the Standing 101 Seminar Program or DVD.