SD invention aids in walking again

US army hospital to use harness sytem for physical rehabilitation

Published: September 11, 2007

A rehabilitation device developed in South Dakota is part of a major investment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.

A running track featuring the Solo-Step, a harness system that allows people to learn to walk without fear of falling, will be unveiled at the Army hospital this month to help war-torn soldiers get back on their feet.

"It's a great feeling to be part of that," said Chris Karr, predisent of Sioux Falls based Solo-Step.

Strapped in, attached to track

The Solo-Step system was developed by Glenn Rasmussen of Sioux Falls, who was inspired to develop a product to help his son, Keith. As a star athlete in his early 20s, Keith Rasmussen in 2001 had to have his leg amputated above the knee after a boating accident and had to learn to walk with a prosthesis.

To use the Solo-Step, a therapist straps a patient into a harness that resembles what a skydiver would wear to parachute from an airplane. The harness then is connected to a strap that attaches to a track attached to the ceiling. The patient then can walk without falling, thanks to the harness support.

The Solo-Step also can help reduce injuries to physical therapists and trainers that occur when patients fall or slip while walking, said Scott Houwman, a Mitchell physical therapist and rehabilitation trainer for Solo-Step.

"When some 300-pound therapy patient starts to fall, we catch them and we get hurt," he said. "We're able to work on a patient better because they don't have to worry about falling."

From soldiers to sports training

Last year, the Rasmussens sold the majority of the Solo-Step company to a Sioux Falls investor group but remain partners in the company.

The product now is in rehabilitation clinics and Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country, as well as at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls.

The Solo-Step also is attractive to sports rehabilitation and acceleration centers looking for better ways to train athletes, Houwmann said.

Glenn Rasmussen developed connections within the VA and military health care systems, and the device caught the eye of Walter Reed therapists, Karr said. In recent years, the hospital has used the system for returning soldiers with amputations and brain injuries who need to re-learn how to walk.

Unique system at Walter Reed

the Walter Reed project is much larger and complex than an average Solo-Step system, Karr said.

The oval track is 216 feet in diameter, and the Solo-Step track connected to the ceiling curves to match the track. Several patients can use the harness and track system at once, he said.

"It's a one-of-a-kind systm," Karr said.

It's inspiring to watch soldiers use the product and see them improve physically, Karr said.

Many soldiers work at rehabilitation in order to return to active duty.

"Those physical challenges aren't setting them back," he said.

"They're not just going to go home and be put out to graze. ...they are dedicated and determined to overcome that physical challenge."