How It Works
Support
The Up n’ Free is a true partial weight bearing system. The support provided to the user supplements the strength that the user has in their lower extremities. This lifting support can enable users who might otherwise be unable to stand to stand and walk.
The lifting support is adjustable so that users who are able to progress in regaining (or retaining) their leg strength can progress from high support to lower or no support.
Trunk Control
The support that the Up n’ Free provides to the user is delivered above the user’s center of gravity. For this reason, the support not only partially lifts the user’s weight but it also stabilizes the position of the user’s pelvis and trunk. Thus users can work on dynamic balance and improved posture while being comfortably supported.
Sit to Stand
Moving from sitting to standing requires maximum use of leg strength and coordination. Users who may be able to stand and walk may have difficulty with this movement. The Up n’ Free provides constant support for the user during this critical and difficult movement. This support supplements the users own strength and frequently makes it possible for them to attain a standing position when they were thought to have lost the ability to stand on their own.
Normal Gait
An important feature of the Up n’ Free is that the support provided by the device remains constant as the user raises and lowers his trunk and shifts his weight from one leg to the other… all required elements in walking. In this respect, the Up n’ Free mimics the support a user gets in Aquatic Therapy. But the Up n’ Free has an additional important feature. The user is supported above their center of gravity and so the device stabilizes their pelvis and helps position their trunk over their legs.
