Push To Walk has been part of my life since January 2008. I have Transverse Myelitis and been paralyzed from the waist down since February 2001. Throughout this journey, I have been in physical therapy (in & out patient), home therapy, a regular gym, swimming and lived in California to attend Project Walk. Push To Walk has been the most adaptive therapy facility of all. The trainers are highly trained in spinal cord injuries and trauma. They do not just get us fit for daily life, however fit for a life of getting out the wheelchair. A great place to work out and see and meet great people!
I have been a client of PTW for about one year and I can't say enough about the professionalism, dedication, and expertise of the staff. I have MS and go to the facility once per week and the training and encouragement serve me so effectively when I am with the trainers but also when I am at home. They want to do the best they can for me and in turn, I want to do the best I can for them (and for me). I also am inspired by the other clients and how hard they work and how the spirits are lifted each time they come in. I am so pleased with my PTW experience.
I love Push to Walk! After sustaining my injury in July of 2009 I needed therapy and after therapy I feel I still needed more. Just lifting weights and exercising at home were not enough so I visited Push to Walk and liked it right away. The one on one attention you receive allows you to work on things you can’t by yourself. The best part is that I am never in my chair while working out there, so I’m always working my whole body and not just the parts I can move. Strengthening your core for balance is very important for you and the therapists here focus on that a lot. Besides the great services provided, Push to Walk allows you to interact with other people with spinal cord injuries so you can relate with other people living similar lives.
After our son was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, we were strongly advised to keep him on a regular regime of therapy. However, after working with several organizations, we became concerned that the treatments were too general or not focused enough on spinal cord injuries. (more sports injury treatment procedures)
We became aware of Push To Walk soon after it opened and soon after our son enrolled.
The difference was dramatic. Not only were treatments geared towards his medical situation but he was dealing with people and an organization that was focused on the physical issues resulting from spinal cord injuries. It has helped him focus on what he is able to do instead of what he is unable to do.
Push To Walk has been tremendous game changer for our son.
When my daughter suffered an SCI in 2006 there was no option for her to exercise once her rehabilitation ended. When Push to Walk opened, she was one of their first clients and I feel is the main reason she has regained as much function as she has today. The importance of staying physically active for someone who is wheelchair bound is so important in helping prevent the many secondary medical conditions of paralysis. My daughter has benefited both mentally and physically from their specialized one-on-one workouts that have been tailored to her specific needs and push her to maximize the abilities she has. Their facility is not only modern and immaculate but they are constantly updating their training and equipment. Their trainers and staff are not only knowledgeable and professional but have also become members of our extended family. The cost of providing such specialized workouts could be prohibitive but Push to Walk relentlessly pursues every available avenue of fundraising in order to keep their fees reasonable for their clients.
I have worked out at Push to Walk for about 5 years now, and I still see myself making improvements because of their training style. The trainers are very knowledgeable and motivating. My number one dream in life is to walk again and I know with push to walk standing by my side, my dream will come true!
I've been going to Push to Walk since July 2009. My neck broke in an automobile accident in January 2008 and I sustained a C7-level spinal cord injury. I couldn't move or feel anything below my chest, and my hands were severely weakened. The doctors said I'd be lucky to get complete hand function back, told my parents about every awful thing that could happen to someone with a spinal cord injury, and then I spent five months doing "traditional" physical therapy.
"Traditional" means learning how to do transfers and live independently in a wheelchair. When I felt my abdominal muscles activating a month and a half after my accident, I told my physical therapist and she didn't believe me. I thought if I tried doing assisted crunches or sit ups, they could help make my abdominal muscle movements more visible, but she did not want to bother with that.
That's the super short version of "before Push to Walk" background information. I'll tell a story about my abdominal muscles, and how Push to Walk helped me with what "traditional" PT refused to do.
During my first couple of visits to Push to Walk, I wore an abdominal binder (essentially, a corset) meant to keep my blood pressure up because my abs were considered too weak to do the job. In the middle of a kneeling exercise meant to strengthen my abs and back muscles, the trainer I was working with commented on the binder. He asked if I needed it all the time, and I said that I needed it in the morning because I had low blood pressure when I got out of bed, and he suggested wearing it less often. By wearing it less often, my abs would be less reliant on the binder and more reliant on, well, my abs. And he was right. I stopped wearing the binder that day, and only wore it when I actually felt dizzy as a last resort. Two years of doing core muscle exercises (core being my abs and back muscles) at Push to Walk on a number of pieces of equipment on a regular basis have strengthened my abs to the point where I rarely have low blood pressure in the morning. My posture and my balance have improved, and that's just one region of the body that's gotten better over the past two years.
If this review portrays "traditional" therapy in a negative light, that's because that's been my experience with it. My "traditional" therapist did not believe that my abs had returned and insisted that I wear a binder to replace them; while at Push to Walk, a progressive place, I did exercises to make them stronger. I could ramble about other improvements I've made in my legs and other important body parts, but the abs example sums it up. I wish I had learned about this place sooner. The staff is incredible, the atmosphere is positive, and I wish I could bring the gym with me to college.
I'm an intern at Push to Walk and have been extremely pleased and impressed with the way things are run at this organization. The staff's dedication to the clients is easily noticed and extremely impressive; the main focus of everything is on keeping Push to Walk going. There is an extremely friendly and inviting environment and every person who works there is so welcoming. That's my favorite part about being at Push to Walk; friendliness is hard to come by. Aside from that, the cause of Push to Walk is so outstanding and admirable that I'm proud to tell people about it and the work that I do there. Not ever being directly affected by an SCI, my awareness has been heightened and Push to Walk has done nothing but affirm my beliefs that the people there are doing absolutely wonderful things.
Push To Walk provides physical training to people with spinal cord injuries. My daughter suffered such an injury in early 2008, and since discovering Push To Walk in July 2009, it has become an essential part of her rehabilitative regimen. She has stayed healthy and regained some feeling and functionality during this time. All of the people there . are caring and skilled professionals. It is a healing place.
In terms of cost, Push To Walk is quite reasonable due to the tireless fundraising efforts of its director and the generosity of its benefactors. In an ideal world, it would be great if health insurance plans covered the costs, but in reality, they would burden Push To Walk with administrative costs, limit visits, require co-payments, continual medical determinations, restrict rehab options, and all of the other bs that makes the American health care system a slave to the for-profit health insurance industry. I do not believe that Push To Walk would as good as it is if it were fettered by the insurance industry.
Before I started going to Push To Walk, I was going to physical therapy at a rehabilitation hospital. Most of those exercises focused on skills and building strength so I could function. The goal was accomplished, however I was never really told of the importance of keeping my body below the injury exercised. The only thing they were certain to tell me is that I would never walk again. At Push To Walk not only are you challenged physically, but you are also provided with encouragement, information and friendship. Push To Walk has been beneficial to my physical and emotional well being.
I had an accident in 2005 and suffered quadrapalegia. I started therapy and began to regain movement and muscle strength. I ran into insurance problems which discontinued my therapy. I saw an ad on the web which led me to push to walk. After inquiring anspeaking to Cynthia and her staff I was very impressed. Push to Walk in Riverdale NJ worked with my schedule and financial situation. I attend twice a week and have regained movement and muscle. My family and friends have noticed the difference. The facility has up to date equipment and a knowledgable staff. I would strongly recommend Push To Walk.
hi my name is monica and i am the mother of jillian one of push to walks past clients..my daughter was h it by a drunk driver on april 18,2009 and he broke every bone in her body with a c-1 being the most severe,how we got threw it only god knows but we were watching tv one day and there was a girl who was at push to walk talking about them..i called right away and made an appointment my daughter was in hospitals for almost 5month and we needed extra therapy and training to help her along with her life...we just stopped going as she is now doing things on her own ,but the one on one training was fantastic and did more for her then the other places i have taken her too ....they stretched her hard and pushed her to the brink of exhaustion.which was totally what she needed.. there is no do this exercise 25 times and they come back to see you in 15 min everything is about you and your trainer for the time you are allotted...the one on one is perfect and its not easy but the benefits outweigh everything else ...if your a spinal cord patient push to walk is a place to go...
I am a client who goes to Push to Walk one day a week for physical therapy. This facility has excellent staff and equipment, including a harness system for walking on a treadmill, a Power Plate machine, a standing frame, weightlifting machine and other equipment. I also enjoy the one-on-one therapy sessions and the dedication to helping me improve my walking.