It consists in the accomplishment of the march on a treadmill with the possibility of diminishing the corporal weight with a harness. The march can be assisted manually or robotic. The intense repetition of the cycle of the march is the main sensational impulse to promote motor activity. For someone who has difficulty maintaining the equalizer and therefore performing a steady pace, the tape allows you to maintain a rhythm and speed and thanks to the holders or the suspension system do not worry about the balance. The therapist, while the patient walks, can: Maintain trunk stability and pelvic alignment. Guide the displacement of weight. Control the foot in the support phase and in the oscillation phase. Control the knee during the loading phase. It is very important to practice an activity to improve the execution of the activity. That is why it is important that the march is carried out daily and at different times of the day. In the neurorehabilitation clinic we focus on improving the functional capacity of the walk, working the necessary skills to be able to walk safely and with the best possible quality. And from there practice the march as much as we can and in different situations (interior by land, by treadmill, by outside in different types of terrain …) The treadmill allows us to do a more complete practice of the cycle of the march. We have the opportunity to increase the speed and the resistance and optimize the aerobic capacity. Thanks to the maintenance of a constant activity, the nervous system activates the postural musculature that will help us improve stability, increases the tone of the weakened muscles and reduces that of the muscular spasticity. At the neurophysiological level it is proven that repeating a constant activity on the tape allows the activation of a neuronal group that we have innately in the spinal cord (lumbar region) responsible for activating autonomously the muscles needed to make the movements of the step during the march. These are named Central Power Generators (Central Power Generators) The treadmill can be made with body weight supported or without:
If we analyze the pros and cons of its use we can say that the harness facilitates the load on the affected bed, the straight and aligned position of the trunk, allows us to do an early training of the march, increases the person’s safety at the time. It’s time to start walking, discharge body weight to the legs and allow more time to walk as it reduces fatigue.
On the contrary, the harness can cause a diminution of the work of balance of trunk, and the situation of disastrous suspension that moves away of the march in the daily life.
To conclude, we can say that we believe that it is very important to have a treadmill in neurorehabilitation centers in order to increase the practice of walking, perform aerobic work difficult to achieve in daily life and improve the functional capacity of patients.
