The Gait Harness provides many advantages over other techniques for assisting with manual transfers of residents. These advantages include the distribution of contact forces on the resident and the availability of handles that will not shift during a transfer. The device certainly offers greater control of an ambulating resident when being assisted by a nursing aide.

Use of a gait training device, such as the Second Step, provided an individual with incomplete spinal cord injury the opportunity to walk with partial support of body weight without utilizing the more expensive suspended treadmill systems. Over-ground walking with this device may be facilitating the use of Central Pattern Generators for improved reciprocal gait ability. The results of this study have important practical and economic implications for the therapist designing a rehabilitation program for individuals with SCI.

The Second Step Gait Harness has more locations and improved design for manual support by the therapists to patient. It is well padded and covers a much larger area of the body at its interface to provide greater comfort during major mechanical support. It has the potential of use for static postural support through static stabilizers. The therapists report that this device is useful in gait training, passive standing support, and for transfer activities for wheelchair bound patients. The advantages of this device over other belts most commonly used by therapists are: improve the comfort of the patient or resident, improve the safety for the resident, improve the security of body positioning by passive or active support, help the therapists manipulate the patient better, make the resident feel secure, and provided the therapists with the ability to maintain their patient or residents upright posture with manual support for the resident.

Yay! We’ve unpacked it already, can’t wait to begin using it.

One of our clients has decided to bring their Second Step Gait Harness System to our facility and we have had the opportunity to use it—it is amazing!

I viewed several of your YouTube videos and was astounded. In 25 years of working with disabled elders and non-geriatric adults, I’ve never seen a Gait Harness System or other device so revolutionary. I’ll spread the word to my nationwide network of professional colleagues.

I am suggesting my patients get a Second Step GHS device to them, because we know that over-ground training gives the best recovery results.

You are AWESOME! On behalf of J. and his mom, THANKS! J. continues to use the Second Step as part of his maintenance program. I have to say your product, after all these years, has required minimal costs to maintain! Thanks so much for such terrific customer support for your product! Better than Nordstrom’s!

The Second Step system allows earlier ambulation of stroke and other neurologically compromised patients by creating a virtually fall-free environment. While it may still take two or even three therapy staff in the most involved cases, initiating stepping as early as possible is critical to ultimately achieving functional gait. With the framework and the harness, I was able to move straight to standing and limited gait instead of being stuck in transfer training for the first day or two. It makes the process possible from the bedside, which allowed the staff members to work without a dedicated gym space when necessary.

I’ve worked as the director of recreation services for a skilled nursing facility for 25 years. I am very impressed with how you have designed a piece of equipment that both supports the patient and allows the patient to ambulate. You should be proud of yourselves.

In 5 years of on-again/off-again rehabilitation, one resident failed to develop independent ambulation to cover even short distances. With integrating the GHS into the treatment regimen, this resident made tremendous progress in independence, ambulating over 200-300 feet.

At age 42, Ron collapsed in his doctor’s office parking lot, awakening to find he was paralyzed from the waist down. Ron’s a very serious and intense person. he’s a perfectionist. No matter how big a step Ron makes, he always wants to take one more. He’s not a quitter. Within a month, Ron was walking 150 feet with the Gait Harness System. It was an amazing moment. It was unbelievable. We were blown away.

I just finished reading your “About Us” page on your website. What an awesome contribution you’ve made to humanity! As a PTA, I look forward to having the opportunity to assist rehabilitation using your most innovative GHS. It is truly a pleasure to meet someone with your sense of vision and awareness of others.

We have treated patients with vestibular disorders, gait abnormalities, CVA, post-op THR, TKR, post amputee, TBI, and patients with a variety of lower extremity balance and coordination problems. Patients with mental dysfunction such as Alzheimer’s Disease can be safely and securely ambulated to provide important health benefits while maintaining a minimal risk to the patient, attending aide, or therapist.

I have a client with a brain stem injury who’s spent 16 years in a wheelchair. I couldn’t find the right equipment on the web. Then voila! Yesterday a colleague said he’d found it. I think he’s right. My client has watched the videos and is excited. It looks like the GHS will really get him moving. We are really pleased to have found your website and are glad you can help.

The GHS is awesome!! It has been amazing to watch our clients use it! Our PT is very satisfied with it.

The harness used in the GHS directs supportive forces (or fall recovery forces) through a much larger surface area on both thighs. Other, over-head harnesses direct these forces through the sensitive pubic area, which often leads to decreased treatment time and intensity.

I have a group of patients at a facility who were all told they would never walk again—after using the Gait Harness System, only two now use a wheelchair as their primary locomotion. I use the GHS daily with almost all my patients. I have had great success using the GHS with and without braces with tetras and paras of all levels. The unique harness is extremely comfortable, works very well with the braces, and reduces the number of seated rest breaks with any standing activity. The GHS allows for reinforcement of newly learned gait patterns, in a real-world situation. The GHS has allowed our program to be very challenging, efficient, and safe at the same time. Many of the higher level activities would require two or three staff members if it were not for the GHS. I cannot say enough about the ease of use and its ability to reduce the fear of falling.

We utilize the GHS with most of our SCI patients. Mainly with long leg braces, but we do have some clients who are becoming more ambulatory and it really helps establish a more normal gait pattern. We are having a lot of success utilizing this equipment.

I have found the GHS really useful with clients on both the psychological and physical level. It’s made a huge difference with clients for whom other types of equipment have not worked, and with clients who haven’t been willing to work with any other type of equipment because of a fear of falling. It’s uplifting to see clients no longer have the fear of falling and be willing to do therapy. Clients who were hard to work with are now very motivated, and the staff is also motivated to help them. Many of these clients have never been able to successfully ambulate prior to using the GHS.

The Gait Harness System is a truly marvelous device that could no doubt help thousands of people actually regain their mobility, not just spend the rest of their lives being pushed around in a wheel chair or riding on a scooter.

I viewed several of your YouTube videos and was astounded. In 25 years of working with disabled elders and non-geriatric adults, I’ve never seen a Gait Harness System or other device so revolutionary. I’ll spread the word to my nationwide network of professional colleagues.

The Second Step program is most creative. It provides much-needed rehabilitation support for individuals with disabilities in long-term care facilities. Wishing you every success.

Patients cannot fall using the GHS as the harness is designed to support their full body weight if necessary. No walker or cane can compare to the safety of this System.

When properly secured in the GHS, the resident is completely supported, without need for caregiver assistance. Mobility activities can be performed relatively hands-free. The resident’s confidence is restored, which can be a huge barrier removed. The therapist is now able to fine-tune the resident’s mobility and address weakness and other gait deviations.

My client is an 18-year-old who experienced a TBI last year resulting from a shooting accident. He used LiteGait and complained about discomfort in the groin area with that equipment. He is very happy with the GHS and decided to purchase one for home use.

The GHS promotes a faster gait velocity, which is difficult to do with over-ground ambulation. I have found benefits using the GHS with amputee patients, who are fearful of falling, as it can promote less dependence on the parallel bars. I have observed the Gait Harness System may reduce anxiety and fear of falling, and improve motivation.

I have a 40-year-old male patient who sustained a TBI in 1994. He and his family were educated in the proper set-up and application of the GHS, and a request was made to have a unit shipped to Tennessee for patient to use in the home for continuity of care and continued functional training. This patient has high needs for mobility assistance and is in the GHS approximately 6x/week at this time. Without the GHS, he would not have ambulating opportunities.

One of my veteran clients, who has a lower extremity amputation, lives in a rural area in South Carolina and inconsistently received therapy services at home. We helped the family get a GHS for them to work on his ambulation at home once he was discharged.

I believe the GHS would be beneficial in the home. It would help with carry over and safe household ambulation, decreasing risk of injury for patient and caregiver.

We have been using our GHS for years, and love it. We have incorporated it with the Interactive Metronome for gait training amputees. Our adult and pediatric GHS’s are both working wonderfully. We are even able to use one for the adults who are tall kneeling for gait training.

Using the GHS has changed my patient’s life forever. At first, he needed 2 people just to assist him standing. Now, he is ambulating 40 feet with only minimal assistance to advance his left leg. He has also built up trunk stability and tolerance enough to weight bear through his legs. He continually verbalizes his excitement with each new gain. He wouldn’t be walking if it weren’t for the GHS. I can’t thank you enough for helping him achieve his goals.

When our clinic opened, we made sure one of the first pieces of equipment we had was a GHS from Second Step. The GHS is a valuable piece of equipment that can be a multi-exercise station and a feedback machine for gait training. Of course, it is also a gait training device that can be used indoors or outdoors. We utilize the GHS on outdoor paths during nice spring, summer, and fall days. The hand holds are a great new feature as they have allowed our clients to have a more comfortable hand placement during their use of the GHS. The GHS allows clinicians here at STAR to create a variety of fun and challenging exercises that breaks the monotony of traditional therapy, and achieves better client outcomes.