FAQ’s – Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Re-Step™ training?
2. How does Re-Step™ work?
3. What are the potential benefits of Re-Step™?
4. What does walking with Re-Step™ shoes feel like?
5. Can I use Re-Step™ at home?
6. How long does a course of Re-Step™ treatments usually take?
7. What other advantages does Re-Step™ training offer?
8. Is Re-Step™ only for patients following a stroke?
9. Who will not benefit from Re-Step™’s walking training?
10. How much does a Re-Step™ course of treatment cost?
11. Where can I do Re-Step™ training?
12. Are results with Re-Step™ guaranteed?
13. Based on the pictures, the shoes look pretty heavy. Does their weight affect the training?
14. My father had stroke 14 years ago. Is there any chance he can benefit as well?
15. My 10 year-old daughter has cerebral palsy and walks with a rollator. Can she benefit from Re-Step™ training?
16. I survived a car accident and cannot walk on my own because of ataxia. Can Re-Step™ training be of any help?
17. My mother (73 years old) fell down two months ago. She was not injured and is in good health, but since then she is much less active and seldom leaves the house. Can she benefit from Re-Step™ training?
18. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and have some balance problems. Can Re-Step™ training help me?
19. I have a spinal cord injury and the movement of my lower extremities is impaired. Can Re-Step™ be of any help to me?
20. According to your website, Re-Step™ teaches the brain how to walk. Is that just a metaphor?
21. Does the Re-Step™ system send any electrical pulses to nerves or the skin?
22. My balance is impaired after the stroke I had. I’m afraid that using Re-Step™ will be beyond my ability, besides being unsafe. Is that true?
23. I would like to undergo a Re-Step™ training course, but one of my feet is deformed and I wear custom-made orthopedic shoes. How can the system be of benefit to me?
24. I had a stroke last year and can get around with a walker now. Will I be able to walk unassisted after the Re-Step™ training course is over?

1. What is Re-Step™ training?

The Re-Step™, training system applies the most up-to-date know-how to improve walking ability through motor learning. During Re-Step™, training sessions, patients perform a variety of exercises supervised by certified physical therapists, while wearing Re-Step™’s special shoes that create changes in slopes and surfaces.

2. How does Re-Step™ work?

Four pistons located in the Re-Step™, shoe change the angles of its sole in a chaotic and unpredictable manner. The order the changes are made in is determined by a non-linear mathematical formula. The patient copes with these changes as they become increasingly difficult, based on instructions given by the on-site physical therapist. Our experience has shown that this kind of challenging training is very effective for rehabilitating walking among patients following a brain injury.

3. What are the potential benefits of Re-Step™?

Training with Re-Step™, improves patients’ walking abilities when outdoors and in natural settings by strengthening their balance and stability. Each course of training sessions is highly individual and targets the functional needs of each and every patient.

4. What does walking with Re-Step™ shoes feel like?

It resembles walking on uneven surfaces, like rocks or sand at the beach. The central nervous system, which controls our walking, is challenged during Re-Step™, training through a combination of changes in the tread surfaces and cognitive tasks, which are integrated in the treatment by the physical therapist. Most of the changes in the shoes are so minor that patients can hardly feel them, but the brain has to cope with them and respond accordingly.

5. Can I use Re-Step™ at home?

At present, the Re-Step™, system can be used at home only if closely supervised by an expert physical therapist. Most of the clinics that provide Re-Step™, training can do it at a patient’s home. What’s special about the system is its portability and that it requires no other special equipment or facility. Step of Mind Ltd., the company which developed Re-Step™, is working on other technologies intended for home training without a physical therapist present.

6. How long does a course of Re-Step™ treatments usually take?

A typical treatment course consists of 22 fifty-minute sessions, held 2-3 times a week. During the initial sessions, patients wear the Re-Step™ shoes for just a few minutes, building up to about 30 minutes towards the end of the course. Based on their ability, patients also do general warm-up and muscle strengthening exercises, similar to a regular workout session.

7. What other advantages does Re-Step™ training offer?

Besides improved walking, improvements in motor control and movement can also be expected. Some patients have reported better plegic hand functioning, while others have experienced reduced spasticity. Family members of one aphasic patient reported a significant improvement in his speech following Re-Step™, training. Most patients who have done Re-Step™, training have more and better social interactions because of greater confidence and independence in their mobility. Also, their relatives tend to worry less and can be less at their side.

8. Is Re-Step™ only for patients following a stroke?

The treatment is tailored to people who have walking difficulties due to brain damage following a stroke (hemiparesis) or brain damage caused by trauma (road accidents, injuries, etc.). It also helps adolescents and adults with cerebral palsy, and adults and elderly people who are inclined to fall or lose their balance.

9. Who will not benefit from Re-Step™’s walking training?

Patients who don’t have minimal and basic stepping ability – for example, if they are unable to achieve clearance of at least 10cm through 3-6 consecutive steps. Use of an assistive device (rollator or crutches) is not however an obstacle Re-Step™,shoe sizes range from 36 to 43.5 (European). Therefore, anyone whose shoe size is not within this range, such as children with small feet, cannot benefit from our training.

People whose cognitive ability prevents them from communicating with a therapist cannot take part in the training, although speech impairment is not a contraindication.

10. How much does a Re-Step™ course of treatment cost?

Each clinic that uses the Re-Step™ system determines its own pricing. Generally, the cost is not much higher than a regular private physical therapy session.

11. Where can I do Re-Step™ training?
Please fill our contact form and we’ll let you know where the nearest clinic is.

12. Are results with Re-Step™ guaranteed?

The improvement in walking ability is individual. For some, it may be evidenced in better balance, while for others it may mean being able to walk distances outside the home or be seen in other gait parameters. The improvement is felt progressively after a number of treatments. According to our in-depth research, a significant period of training is required in order to retain the improvements and implement them in daily life.

13. Based on the pictures, the shoes look pretty heavy. Does their weight affect the training?

Actually, they’re not so heavy and weigh about the same as regular track shoes. The effect of their weight was tested in clinical trials and found to be negligible. Furthermore, the weight of the shoes contributes to muscle strength during the initial training sessions because most patients have been inactive for a long time and their fitness has been compromised.

14. My father had stroke 14 years ago. Is there any chance he can benefit as well?

Yes, there is a very good chance. Dozens of people who had strokes even more than14 years ago have achieved excellent results with Re-Step™ training. So it appears that your father is a good candidate as well. He should however meet with a rehab physician and expert physical therapist at a Re-Step™ clinic to get a more definitive answer relevant to his case.

15. My 10 year-old daughter has cerebral palsy and walks with a rollator. Can she benefit from Re-Step™ training?

A rollator doesn’t pose an obstacle. The problem could be her shoe size if it’s smaller than 36 (European). In that case, she should wait a couple of years until her feet grow naturally and then she can benefit from Re-Step™ training.

16. I survived a car accident and cannot walk on my own because of ataxia. Can Re-
Step™ training be of any help?

Yes. People with ataxia have used Re-Step™ and their walking, balance and stability have improved as a result of it.

17. My mother (73 years old) fell down two months ago. She was not injured and is in good health, but since then she is much less active and seldom leaves the house. Can she benefit from Re-Step™ training?

Your mother has a “fear of falling” – a well known condition among healthy seniors who experienced a fall in the past. Training with Re-Step™ can improve your mother’s balance and help her regain her confidence.

18. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and have some balance problems. Can Re-Step™ training help me?

Regrettably not. The Re-Step™ system is not intended for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients or those who have other degenerative diseases.

19. I have a spinal cord injury and the movement of my lower extremities is impaired. Can Re-Step™ be of any help to me?

Unfortunately not. Re-Step™ is not intended for people with spinal cord injuries because. it targets the brain and its motor control centers. It cannot be of help when the problem is located lower down in the body – e.g. in the spinal cord, bones, joints or muscles.

20. According to your website, Re-Step™ teaches the brain how to walk. Is that just a metaphor?

Re-Step™ training contributes to motor learning and control because patients learn how to keep their balance, react to changes in slope and terrain, and cope with changing environments. Re-Step™ training teaches the nervous system so the patient can move effectively and safely. So, it’s not just a metaphor. We really mean it.

21. Does the Re-Step system send some electrical pulses to nerves or to the skin?

No, the system does not send electrical pulses. It communicates with the central nervous system only through changes in the angles of the shoes’ soles. When that happens, the body is expected to react appropriately by keeping its balance and taking the next step.

22. My balance is impaired after the stroke I had. I’m afraid that using Re-Step™ will be beyond my ability, besides being unsafe. Is that true?

All Re-Step™ users start out having poor balance for different reasons. The training starts with easy exercises that are strain-free, and gradually increase in difficulty from session to session based on each individual’s progress. The training is supervised by expert physical therapists who are there to assure your safety.

23. I would like to undergo a Re-Step™ training course, but one of my feet is deformed and I wear custom-made orthopedic shoes. How can the system be of benefit to me?

In most cases, a solution to a problem such as yours can be found during the initial evaluation at the clinic. You will be asked to try on the Re-Step™ shoes in order to find
the appropriate size and insoles. The shoes are also soft and comfortable. They are wide in width and can be tied securely. Furthermore, the shoes are not for daily use, but only for the short training sessions.

24. I had a stroke last year and can get around with a walker now. Will I be able to walk unassisted after the Re-Step™ training course is over?

The improvement in walking is individual. Before the Re-Step™ training starts, its goals are discussed and set between the therapist and the patient. Many people have been able to replace their assistive device during the training – e.g. start using a tripod or cane instead of a walker.