The Prognosis was Grim
With doctors skeptical he'd ever
walk again, Cameron was in a dark
place. "They thought I might be
able to twitch my toes someday,"
he says. But now, thanks to an
innovative piece of equipment at
St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute,
Cameron is able to get around on
crutches and is optimistic that he'll
be able to walk down the aisle at
his wedding using just a cane.
"The ZeroG is helping me learn how
to trust my legs to do what they're
meant to do again," says Cameron.
The ZeroG Gait and Balance System
is a robotic body-weight support
system designed to help people
like Cameron relearn to walk and
gain balance. It removes a patient's
fear of falling during therapy,
which is an obstacle to effective
rehabilitation says Jake Allstot,
assistant manager of rehabilitation
at St. Luke's. "Taking that first step is
scary," says Jake. "The ZeroG helps
us completely take that fear away."
The ZeroG is used to aid patients
with conditions such as spinal cord
and brain injuries, stroke, Multiple
Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and
even lower-extremity amputations.
It is the only device of its kind in the
Inland Northwest and is expected
to serve around 1,000 adult and
pediatric patients each year.
Make a
meaningful
contribution.
The equipment and necessary space
modifications totaled $260,000 and
were made possible by generous
donations to Providence Health
Care Foundation. Major funders
included the Craig H. Neilsen
Foundation and the M.J. Murdock
Charitable Trust.
The ZeroG offers patients a
reduced gravity-like environment,
allowing them to practice a wide
range of activities such as climbing
up and down stairs, getting up
off the floor, getting in and out
of a chair and other everyday
tasks. Patients wear a harness that
connects to the ZeroG robot as
it tracks their movements from
above. A nearby touchscreen
allows physical therapists to
simulate various scenarios and
track a patient's progress.
Learning how to walk again after an
injury like Cameron's is intimidating.
"When you fall and hit the ground,
it hurts," he says. The ZeroG
simulates falls without letting the
patient hit the ground. "I felt more
confident because I knew that if I
fell, I would be caught."
The ZeroG also reduces injuries to
employees. "Our therapists don't
run the risk of hurting themselves
when they save a patient from a
fall. Therapists can put their focus
on the patient to get the best
outcomes," says Jake.
PROVIDENCE.ORG/HEARTBEAT 15
You can support innovative
technologies and programs
that are aiding patients in
their recoveries by giving
to Providence Health Care
Foundation at providence.
org/givingewa
Cameron marvels at the progress
he's made since beginning therapy
on the ZeroG. Before using the
equipment, Tweedy was reaching
600 steps during a 45-minute
therapy session. Using the ZeroG,
he is hitting 1,500 steps.
But the number of steps is just
one indicator of his progress. "The
ZeroG allowed me to stand up and
hold my daughter, Hazel, again. I
can pick her up and put her in her
highchair. I can walk around the
kitchen. Last night I made steaks for
dinner. It's nothing shy of a miracle
that I've gotten to where I am," says
Cameron. "St. Luke's and the ZeroG
changed my life."
"The ZeroG
allowed me
to stand up
and hold my
daughter,
Hazel, again.
I can pick her
up and put her
in her highchair."
Watch how Cameron
learned to walk again.
