Nadia Workout Session
Trainer Module Workout Session
Living with athetoid cerebral palsy, Nadia faces spasticity and involuntary movements. She relies on a powered wheelchair for full-time mobility, communicates through a communication aid and British Sign Language (BSL) due to her hearing impairment, and is supported by a dedicated team for her daily activities.
Athetoid Cerebral Palsy is a form of cerebral palsy marked by uncontrollable, writhing movements called athetosis. It results from damage to the brain's basal ganglia, affecting muscle control and posture. Fine motor skills, balance, and speech can be challenging. Treatment includes therapies and assistive devices to improve movement and daily function.
Penny Townsend has been working with Nadia for 8 years as her physiotherapist. Nadia thrives on challenges and lives life to the fullest.
Nadia's physiotherapy sessions are centred around maintaining her range of motion, enhancing muscle strength, refining posture symmetry, improving seated balance, and retaining her ability to stand transfer, minimizing the need for hoisting transfers in the future. She has a walking frame that she uses regularly, but due to the support it offers her, she doesn't feel that she gets a good cardiovascular workout.
Nadia's enthusiasm for exploration and readiness to embrace physical challenges are noteworthy. In a recent physiotherapy session, she expressed interest in exploring the possibility of going to a gym.
Recognizing the challenges of standard gym equipment and the potential physical strain on Nadia and her support team, it was decided to assess the benefits of the Guldmann Trainer Module at Simply Moving, to explore how this might help Nadia achieve her goals.
On the 18th of August, Nadia experienced the Trainer Module in action, aided by a Guldmann Active vest. The Active Vest allowed Nadia to maintain a symmetrical seated posture on the edge of the bed—a physically demanding position during standard physiotherapy sessions.
Enabled by the Trainer Module, Nadia engaged in sit-to-stand practice, allowing her to strengthen her core and leg muscles with minimal support from the therapist. In regular physiotherapy sessions, the therapist supports Nadia's full body weight to help her step and walk, which means that the therapist bears most of her body weight. With the Trainer Module, only fingertip support was required, enabling Nadia to move more freely around the room and choose where and how long she wanted to walk.
While Nadia found herself slightly breathless and with a light sheen of sweat, the experience was marked by its effectiveness.
Therapeutically, this is highly beneficial to Nadia, as it helps her internal systems, increases cardiovascular output, improves breathing control and digestion, and strengthens her muscles while aiding the range of movement in her joints. Above all, she found the session enjoyable and described it as the best physiotherapy session she has ever had.
By the end of the session, Nadia had achieved the workout she desired, and from the therapist's perspective, there was no physical strain at all. Following the session, Nadia sat in her wheelchair with a more symmetrical posture, and her athetoid movements decreased. She reached out the next day to express that she had experienced an amazing night's sleep.
The Trainer Module proves to be a win-win solution for everyone involved.
Trainer Module
Integrated into GH3+ ceiling hoists, the Trainer Module offers up to 100 kg dynamic weight relief, aiding safe rehabilitation exercises like gait training and sit-to-stand. Controlled digitally, it enhances therapy engagement and outcomes.