CONTACT: Stephanie Lajam
PHONE: (201) 644-7567
EMAIL: slajam@pushtowalknj.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 28, 2019
Push to Walk Adds Xcite FES Clinical Station to Equipment Inventory
Oakland, NJ- Push to Walk, a local nonprofit that provides specialized workouts to individuals living with paralysis, recently added a new piece of functional electrical stimulation equipment to its program.
Tuesday, May 7th, Push to Walk (PTW) welcomed the Restorative Therapies (RTI) Xcite Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Clinical Station to its list of state-of-the-art equipment. The arrival of the Xcite adds to PTW’s collection of RTI devices with its already existing RT300 FES Bike, RT200 FES Recumbent Elliptical, and RT600 Step and Stand with fully integrated FES. FES is therapeutically beneficial because it triggers individual muscles to physically contract while completing a movement. This helps retrain the nervous system while also leading to improved muscle mass, bone density, blood circulation, and skin integrity thus improving the quality of workouts.
Push to Walk invited Restorative Therapies Inc. (RTI) Clinical Representative, Gabriella Stienfbold, OTR, ATP into the gym to provide an all-day training for staff to learn about the Xcite Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Clinical Station. The training session included overview of the Xcite system as well as hands-on demonstrations with a few of Push to Walk’s current clients as preparation to safely use the device in future workouts.
Unique to other FES devices the gym owns, the Xcite can target muscles of the upper body (shoulder, arm, forearm) in the proper sequential manner to complete functional tasks. It can reteach muscles tasks such as those to help increase independence such as grasping a cup off a table, gripping a pen, or brushing your teeth. Previous devices do not have the ability to provide electrical stimulation in such a precise way. “Push to Walk’s clients, specifically those with quadriplegia, place high importance on arm and hand function over most other abilities. In the short few weeks we have had the device, the reactions of clients when seeing their hands physically perform exercises that they could not complete without the Xcite has confirmed our training staff’s beliefs of what this equipment purchase can truly add to our program,” says Program Director, Tiffany Warren. The addition of the Xcite to workouts, gives PTW the best chance to help encourage such improvements.
For more information, please contact Stephanie Lajam at (201) 644-7567 or slajam@pushtowalknj.org. Donation opportunities are available on the Push to Walk website: www.pushtowalknj.org
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About Push to Walk
Founded in 2007, Push to Walk is an organization that provides individualized workouts and resources to people with spinal cord injuries and other forms of paralysis to optimize current quality of life and to prepare for future medical advancements. It is the only program of its kind in the New York- New Jersey area. Push to Walk’s rigorous one-on-one workout approach challenges clients to reach their personal goals and achieve maximum independence, leading to greater success and fulfillment in their personal and professional lives. Push to Walk is only able to cover about 65% of its operating costs through client fees and relies on grants and fundraising events to help make up the difference. A 501(C)3 non-profit, Push to Walk is located in Oakland, New Jersey. Visit www.pushtowalknj.org to learn more.
