Gait Training For Imbalance With Vizziq

Inventor, Katherine Haik, and Ashley Williams present a new medical-fitness exercise tool that helps people with imbalance learn to walk more confidently.

WHY GAIT TRAINING?

Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older adults. They are expensive and can cause a spiral of decline, often leading to institutionalization. Neuromuscular re-education and gait training is an important, but often overlooked, modality for use in falls and balance therapy, as well as, brain injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, post-surgical therapy, and injury rehab.

How we walk is a complex phenomenon in which our whole body is performing a dance that has been ingeniously choreographed. Our visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems are constantly adjusting and interacting. These are autonomic functions, like walking, where most of the time we don’t need to think about how these systems are working.

Gait speed is a vital sign that is described in the seven phases of the gait cycle, directly related to brain/body function. It is used as one of the measures for determining current health and independence.

Gait training is a specific form of therapy that can improve walking and stance by focusing on balance and posture while adjusting position and increasing endurance.

Gait rhythms and patterns can be retrained, improving gait efficiency, independence and confidence, which will decrease fear of falling and dynamic stability.

Vizziq Neuromuscular Trainer is an evidence-based mobility and gait training tool that can easily be adapted to user size and function levels. Vizziq is an effective gait training tool that can be utilized during both healthy times and after injury or illness, for faster recovery.

Speaker bios:

Katherine Haik, the inventor of Vizziq Neuromuscular Trainer is a pioneer in the space of exercise science; a member of the first class in her University to obtain a Bachelor's of Science in Exercise Science. Though they were considered undergraduate students, the majority of their coursework was spent with the graduate level programs learning physiology, kinesiology, cardiac rehabilitation, chronic disease management, 12 lead EKG Exercise Stress Testing, Athletic Training and Sports Injury Therapy Techniques, Nutrition for Athletes, and Adaptive Aquatics. Katherine studied and performed competencies that included various modalities from aquatic therapies, stress management and Feldenkrais, to the Pilates method. Her experience in these modalities led to her identification of a significant gap in the medical device industry, overground neuromuscular gait training devices.

Ashley Williams, CHPSE, PhD Candidate. Ashley started in healthcare as a CNA at 15 and became an EMT at 17, and a paramedic at 19. As a paramedic she worked in both pre-hospital and in-hospital critical care settings including the emergency department and intensive care units for over 10 years. Ashley was also an educator teaching life support courses for clinicians including physicians and other advanced care providers. Ashley has a Bachelor's of Science in Biology and Political Science, a Master's in healthcare ethics with a Catholic Healthcare Focus, and is a PhD Candidate in Healthcare Ethics and has several publications under journal review. She was 1 of 6 chosen for the first ASU/Mayo Clinic MedTech Accelerator program in which she began working with Mayo Clinic companies and as as a research affiliate with Mayo Clinic. Ashley now is a consultant for medical device/tech and healthcare companies (Ethos Healthcare Advisors) and a patient advocate (Ethos Healthcare Advocates).

This video is sponsored by Vizziq.

VeDA relies on your support to help vestibular patients on their journey to find a life rebalanced. You can make a real difference by making a donation at vestibular.org/donate

If you are experiencing verti