Evaluation of the DST

The Dynamic Stair Trainer (DST) is an innovative new device designed for the gradual practice of stair-climbing skills for people undergoing physical rehabilitation.
The apparatus features four steps whose height can be adjusted electronically from zero to 16.5 centimeters (0- 6.5 inches) between steps.
The DST is also equipped with handrails on either side; the height of the handrails can be adjusted.
The device is designed for people in various stages of rehabilitation who need exercise to regain their ability to use steps following illness, heart problems, stroke, orthopedic injuries, car or work accidents, surgery (including knee replacement), neurological injuries or amputations. In general it is suitable for anyone requiring physiological rehabilitation, including children.

Step climbing is a basic everyday skill, which is why physiotherapists emphasize practicing on steps: to enable patients to return to their natural environment as quickly as possible with a minimum of restrictions on their mobility.
Step climbing provides many other beneficial side-effects, including general strengthening of the body, improving coordination, enhancing self-confidence and improving balance.
Being able to adjust the height of the steps precisely to suit each patient's level enables patients to begin step exercises during the very first stages of rehabilitation, immediately after they are able to walk - and sometimes even before.
Operation of  the device is simple: press a button and the height of the steps adjusts electronically to match the patient's needs. It is even possible to readjust step height during the exercise session, should this be necessary.

The DST was tested over a period of several months at numerous rehabilitation centers. Here are the findings:

v  Practicing step climbing at an earlier stage of rehabilitation:
Because the steps could be adjusted so accurately to the patient's level of ability, exercise could begin at an earlier stage of rehabilitation. On regular steps or on a wooden step device, the height of the steps is set, usually at 16.5 centimeters (6.5 inches). A patient who cannot yet climb steps of this height cannot begin stepping exercises. With this device, we could adjust the height to exactly what the patient was able to do and thus begin exercise at an earlier stage.
Some patients began climbing the steps at a height of one centimeter and within two days succeeded in climbing steps three centimeters high. Five days later they were able to climb eight-centimeter steps.
By introducing this exercise at such an early stage, the entire rate of the patient's progress increases - not only the ability to climb steps, but also the ability to walk.

v  Reciprocal ascension of steps:
In other cases, the DST allowed patients to ascend and descend steps reciprocally. A common phenomenon among people with one weak leg is to climb steps by leading with the strong leg and dragging the weaker one up to it. By adjusting the DST to the functional level of the weaker leg, patients succeeded in climbing steps reciprocally, rather than by dragging the weaker leg to catch up with the stronger one. The exercise contributed greatly to the patients' progress, and eventually we were able to increase the height of the steps while maintaining reciprocal ascent.

v  Increased patient motivation:
An interesting and important aspect of the use of DST was the dramatic increase in patients' motivation to perform the exercise. We know that exercising on steps can be fraught with frustration, pain and anxiety. Adjusting the height of the steps precisely to the current ability of the patient offers a feeling of achievement as well as reassurance that they will be able to perform this important exercise after their release from the hospital. As one patient said "Now I'll be able to climb the stairs at home." This increased motivation was visible in the patients' willingness and desire to exercise.
Patients would go up and down the steps several times, with the physiotherapist increasing the height of the steps from time to time. They could actually see their own improvement as they found themselves able to ascend steps at a height that only a few days before had been too high for them.
The modern design of the device and its electrical self-adjustment mechanism gave the patients a feeling of being in a fitness room rather than in a hospital. One patient said: "It's a real high-tech instrument".
By the end of the treatment, both the patient and the physiotherapist were convinced that the improvement, which in the past entailed great effort, time, and often frustration and pain, was accomplished much more quickly and easily using the DST.

v  Adjustable handrail height and width:
The possibility of adjusting the height of and distance between the handrails offered the staff much greater flexibility in practice. With the height of the rail adjusted to suit the patient's height and condition, the patient could concentrate more firmly on his main task.
Adjusting the distance between the rails enabled patients who required it to ascend with handrail support on both sides. Other patients, in contrast, needed greater distance between the rails so that they could hold onto the handrail with one hand and an auxiliary aid, such as a cane or walker, with the other.

v  Independent practice:
The adjustability of the steps and the handrails as well as the general safety of the device allowed some patients to practice independently after receiving appropriate guidelines from the physiotherapist. Independent practice also accelerated the rehabilitation processes and enhanced the patients' self-confidence.

v  Shortening rehabilitation time:
In essence, all the points mentioned above contributed to reducing the time required to acquire step-climbing skills and thus of the entire rehabilitation process. The savings in time required to learn to cope with steps was at times quite dramatic.

v  Adoption of the DST by the staff:
It usually takes quite some time for a medical staff to adopt a new device or apparatus. With the DST, the medical staff was exceptionally enthusiastic and responses such as "Where has this device been until now?" and "How did we get along without it until now?" were common.

v  Savings and efficiency:
The DST saved us treatment time and made our work more efficient. Instead of improvising all kind of platforms with steps of different heights to meet the patient's needs, the physiotherapist simply pressed the button and immediately had a device that was perfectly adjusted. The fact that step-height could be adjusted to the patient's ability to practice by himself also helped. For example, this freed the physiotherapist to work with someone else while giving instructions and taking an occasional look at the patient working by himself on the DST.

It is rare that a physiotherapist receives an auxiliary aid so essential for performing the sacred work of enabling patients to return to their daily routine. This is what happened in the case of the DST.
The DST creates a veritable revolution in the physiotherapy hall and as it is used for the first times, immediately becomes an essential tool of rehabilitation. Beyond its proven effectiveness, the DST is popular with both staff and patients.
The DST offers another benefit: It can accurately monitor the rate of the patient's progress (a graph with dates of the exercise on the X axis and the height of the steps on the Y axis dramatically presents the patient's progress during his rehabilitation). This gives the physiotherapist both a tool for working with patients and a tool for monitoring their progress. The graphic display can be presented at staff meetings and used when communicating with outside agencies (medical institutions, insurance companies, etc.).
The DST is a device that accurately meets a real and basic need in rehabilitation. This is its greatest value.

To read more of the DST's testemonials click here.