New View on Physical Therapy

June 17 — AMERICAN FORK — Devin Dayley, 21, is changing the way he looks at physical therapy thanks to a new treadmill that includes cameras trained on his every step.

Dayley experienced frequent headaches, nausea and blurred vision while serving an LDS mission in Montana. In December 2012, an MRI revealed a large brain tumor close to his spine. After returning home early from his mission, undergoing four surgeries and spending five months in the hospital, Dayley was left with limited use of his extremities and double vision.

He had completed more than a year of standard physical therapy when Intermountain Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation at American Fork purchased a new anti-gravity treadmill with cameras and monitors that give patients a new view of how they walk. Dayley was the first patient to use the machine and has been rapidly improving ever since.

"The most notable benefit of this treadmill is the coaching we can give Devin on his stride,” said Quinn Warnick, Dayley’s physical therapist. “As he watches the monitors and sees how his steps look, we can tell him to adjust his gait accordingly. It’s truly incredible.”

Warnick said the treadmill has many features that make it desirable for not only post-op rehab patients, but also athletes, people fighting obesity and even elderly exercise enthusiasts. All patients benefit from such features as:
•     Custom training: Equipment adjusts to how much weight the patient is supporting. Ordinary treadmills only change in speed and incline.
•     Easy to use: No training required for operations specialist. Helping the person into the treadmill is easy, controls are straight forward and you press “go” to start.
•     Compact size: Generally, patients run in a pool for lower impact. The new treadmill offers the same benefit, but it’s smaller and easier to maintain.

“Devin is young and fully motivated. He wants to be active, and he wants to be back fast. With this machine, we can do that,” Warnick said.