What is a Body Weight Support Treadmill (BWST)

This is a safe way of using a treadmill to stimulate or improve the walking pattern. It involves wearing a body harness which is attached to a gantry frame overhead, so this can support the entire body weight or partial body weight. This may be a safe way of you beginning to walk when you are unable to walk by yourself, or a safe way of progressing the level you are at, for example, if someone wanted to experience running but did not feel safe to do it by themselves. The amount of support that the harness takes can be easily adjusted to tailor it to the clinical need of each individual. An example would be if they are starting to run for the first time, it may be necessary to increase the support of the harness to maintain their balance and the posture.

Why use Body Weight Support Treadmill (BWST)

This is an exciting new way of completing gait training whereby it can unload the legs to enable freer and more confident walking. Research has shown that the unloading of the legs and using a treadmill with a therapist helping the patient to step, has been shown to improve walking, and this is transferrable to functional walking on overground in a variety of conditions.

Body Weight Support Treadmill (BWST) features available at Therapy-Matters

• Fully serviced BIODEX BWST treadmill
• Gait re-training
• Body weight support harness for partial or full de-weighting
• Walking or running practice
• Walking up or down an incline
• Backwards walking functions
• Visual feedback functions & auditory feedback functions

Answers to common questions about the Body Weight Support Treadmill (BWST)

• You will be fully clothed while using the treadmill and the harness will fit over your clothes
• You will have a fully qualified expert with you the entire time that you use the treadmill
• The therapist will maintain your safety whilst the treadmill is in use at all times
• The therapist can start the treadmill at a slow speed until your body adjusts to using it and the speed can be gradually increased if you consent to doing so

Benefits of using the Body Weight Support Treadmill (BWST)

• BWST can improve your walking pattern – a therapist can facilitate the correct walking pattern so you can relearn the correct walking style
• Treadmill training can improve speed and strength of walking
• Increased leg strength
• It has proven benefits of increasing balance
• Improve endurance because it gives you the opportunity to increase walking period without interruptions
• Improved fitness

What conditions can Body Weight Support Treadmill (BWST) training be used

• Stroke
• Head injuries or TBI
• Brain bleeds, subarachnoid haemorrhage or subdural bleeds
• Multiple sclerosis
• Amputees
• Spinal cord injury
• Parkinson’s disease
• Muscular dystrophy
• Brain surgery
• Decreased mobility
• Osteoarthritis

Further information

http://www.biodex.com/physical-medicine/products/partial-body-weight-support