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High Intensity Gait Training is a new research-based approach to Physical Therapy. Rather than focusing on the details of walking, it focuses more on the volume of steps — even if they’re not the cleanest steps. It’s not just the steps, though. It’s also about getting the heart rate up safely. This therapy drives heart rates up to 65-85% of the max.
And you know what? It works.
Patients who go through this therapy walk faster. They walk further. Their sit-to-stand performance is better.
It turns out the intensity primes the brain for the neuroplastic changes that work with the repetitions we need to do to acquire or re-acquire skills like walking.
You can read one of the studies here.
This week we learn about High Intensity Gait Training from Dr. Meghan Larson, PT, DPT, NCS. Not only is Meghan specially trained in this therapy, she is also the woman who taught me to walk at age 46. She was my inpatient PT back in 2017. And she continues to be an utter delight.
Bio
Dr. Meghan Larson, PT, DPT, NCS is a board certified Neurological Clinical Specialist Physical Therapist who completed her doctoral work at Columbia University and undergraduate degree at Gonzaga University. Currently, Meghan is a staff Physical Therapist at Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Campus in the Acute Rehabilitation Unit. She has previous experience in Neuro ICU, Neuro Telemetry, Long Term Acute Care and outpatient orthopedics therapy. Currently areas of interest and specialty are Stoke Rehabilitation, Vestibular Rehab, gait training and balance re-training. Meghan lives with her husband, two kids and dog in Seattle, WA. She enjoys cooking, running, hiking, traveling and spending time with her growing family.
Education
- Doctorate Degree- Columbia University
- Undergraduate Degree- Gonzaga University
- Board Certification- Neurological Clinical Specialist
Work Experience
- Current- Staff Physical Therapist at Swedish Medical Center- Cherry Hill Campus in the Acute Rehabilitation
- Past- Highline Medical Center- Regional Hospital Lead Therapist and Physiotherapy Associates Staff Physical Therapist
Two Things Successful Patients Do
Meghan works with a lot of patients. Some are more successful than others. What drives that difference? Meghan sees two things that the successful patients do
First, they trust the process and the therapists. The therapists spend years studying this stuff. They push us. And sometimes we develop an intense dislike of them because they are pushing us so hard.
But the thing I, most of them know what they are doing. They’re pushing us because pushing us works.
So trust the therapists and the work they are making us do.
The second thing successful folks do is they are kind to themselves.
That doesn’t mean treating therapy as a vacation or not trying hard. It means trying and working and when failing, not beating themselves up. This stuff is hard. We are going to fail. That’s how we know we are trying.
But thinking of ourselves as failures or getting angry with ourselves or engaging in negative self talk doesn’t help.
We have to forgive ourselves for the things we can’t do — yet.
Would you talk to another survivor the way you talk to yourself? Would you call someone the names that you call yourself? If not, then don’t treat yourself that badly either. Be kind to yourself.
Caffeinated Comics
A couple weeks ago, I joined visited the Caffeinated Comics. We talked about the insurrection at the US Capitol and a lot about Star Trek. We also talked about Voice Over Artist Tom Kane who recently survived a stroke and now lives with aphasia.
You can learn more about and listen to the episode here.
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