Life After Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)

Standing today to create a healthy tomorrow
There are many secondary complications associated with prolonged immobility of people with a spinal cord injury (SCI). It is very common for SCI Rehab Specialists to incorporate standing as an intricate part of their client's initial rehab program. However, a full standing program shouldn’t just be limited to a client’s initial spinal injury rehab sessions. In order to experience the long-term medical benefits of standing, a standing frame must be prescribed for home use upon discharge. When therapists prescribe a stander with their client's initial equipment purchase (e.g. wheelchair, commode), their clients have the best chance of obtaining funding for the standing frame. Altimate Medical has free funding tools and rehab suppliers in your area to help you.

For people with Spinal Cord Injury and their families

Talk to your therapist & rehab supplier
If you are interested in learning more about standing, first talk to your therapist or doctor and see if it is medically safe for you to stand. Then arrange for a supplier to let you try an EasyStand and see if it is the right stander for you. Make sure your therapist writes a letter of medical necessity that is specific to your medical needs. After the rehab supplier submits to your funding source, if the stander is denied, it is up to you to appeal. A good medical team (Supplier & Therapist) will support you with the proper documentation and/or testimony through the funding appeals process. One of the biggest mistakes that a person with a disability can make is not being their own advocate. Be prepared to “be the squeaky wheel” until you get the home medical equipment you need. We can provide you with resources to help, such as the Funding Guide to Standing Technology, which has a PAAT Directory (Protection Advocacy for Assistive Technology) and State Technology Assistance Projects.

For therapists & doctors treating those with Spinal Cord Injuries

Stand up to the facts - people with SCI need to stand
As a spinal cord injury rehab professional, you are very aware of the secondary complications that arise after a spinal cord injury. Rehab facilities that incorporate standing/weight bearing as a part of their SCI client’s standing program see the effects of secondary complications minimized. Your clients need to start standing as soon as you determine it is medically safe to achieve the greatest possible health benefits. The health benefits of standing have been documented in various research studies including:

• Tilt table standing for reducing spasticity after spinal cord injury.
• Changes of tibia bone properties after spinal cord injury: effects of early intervention.
• Use of prolonged standing for individuals with spinal cord injuries.
• Indications for a home standing program for individuals with spinal cord injury.
• Standing and its importance in spinal cord injury management.

You may find additional clinical evidence on standing located in our Research Studies section.

Prescribing standing equipment for home & getting it funded
Your clients stand in rehab and they are standing right away, that is the first step. Now you need to make sure they continue their standing program at home. Prescribe a stander for each of your Spinal Cord Injury patients to use at home so they can continue with the necessary routine of standing after they leave rehab. By prescribing a stander immediately after injury, you also give your patients the best chance of getting their stander paid for through medical insurance. Insurance companies are more likely to cover the stander or home medical equipment when it is included with the initial order for a wheelchair and other necessary rehab equipment. If you need assistance writing a letter of medical necessity, we can help. Our Funding Specialist can review your letter and offer suggestions that will help it to be successful. Read more about funding for standers or download our Funding Guide to Standing Technology.

Free “Life After Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)” DVD for Clinicians, Rehab Specialists, & People who use Wheelchairs

We have created the “Life after SCI: Spinal Cord Injury” DVD and will send it to you free of charge. Therapists, if your newly injured clients are not ready to watch this DVD in rehab, we encourage you to provide them with a copy to watch at home.  Rehab facilities are welcomed to order large quantities of the Life After SCI DVD so that each of their Spinal Cord Injured patients has the opportunity to see it. This DVD covers a variety of topics that would be of interest to paraplegics and quadriplegics alike.

Wheelchair Sports & Staying Active
Footage includes: boarding planes, renting cars, downhill four wheeling, hand cycling, wheelchair softball, motivational interviews, importance of standing, and going to college.

Transferring & Adapting
Footage includes: transfers into vans, pickups, tractors, pontoons, standing frames, and exercise machines. Also, inspirational interviews discussing rehab, family reaction, and adapting.

For a sneak preview of clips from the Life After Spinal Cord Injury DVD, go to our Videos page.

Call 800-342-8968 for a Free “Life After SCI” DVD or request a copy online.

The Host of "Life After SCI": Mark Schmitt, Marketing Director at Altimate Medical, is a T-12 paraplegic, and began working for AMI when the EasyStand was first introduced in 1989.	Special Guest: Alan Tholkes, founder of Altimate Medical, has been a C6-7 Quadriplegic since a car accident in 1976. In “Life After SCI: Part 2” Alan shares various transferring techniques.