Page 26 - Mobility Management, May/June 2021

Zing Portable: Standing Here, There, Everywhere
Altimate Medical has intro- duced a pediatric stander with a wide range of clinical benefits in a compact, easy-to-trans- port footprint.
After a pandemic year marked by isolation and exclusion, every- thing about the Zing Portable says inclusion.
Standing & Positioning
Right on Time
While the Zing Portable will imme- diately turn heads because of its transport-friendly design, make no mistake: This is a full-featured stander.
“A big must-have was abduc- tion,” said Nancy Perlich, Funding & Reimbursement, Altimate Medical. “Studies have shown that the earlier you get children standing, the
less likely they are to have issues with improper musculoskeletal development as they grow/age.
So part of the design was based around uncompromised standing in abduction.
“Another big want was to have the stander do both prone and supine [positioning] — but as simply as possible, without compromising proper positioning. We felt two separate uppers — prone- and supine-specific trays with upper- body supports — met the criteria. As a result, changing between supine and prone is two knobs: one to change the upper-body support and tray, and one knob to reverse the footplate.”
The Zing Portable is designed for young children from infancy to 3 years and up to 36" tall. It has a weight capacity of 36 lbs., and has no minimum height or weight
26 MAY-JUNE 2021 | MOBILITY MANAGEMENT
requirement.
“There is greater window of oppor-
tunity standing kids young to help achieve musculoskeletal hip devel- opment,” said Perlich. “Starting at about 9 months old, typically devel- oping children start to pull to stand, cruise furniture, and walk, all of which helps to develop the acetab- ulum of the hip. Studies support the need for ongoing hip surveillance
in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Surveillance programs enable early identification of hips at risk and allow for conservative preventive treatment of positioning the hip in extension and abduction in a weight-bearing position, which may result in lower incidence of dislocation and pain in children with CP.
“If this window is missed, the
need for surgical hip intervention increases; this is especially true for children with GMFCS [Gross Motor Function Classification System] levels IV and V.”
So while early-intervention standing perhaps gets less press than general early-intervention mobility, there are many reasons to encourage on-time standing.
“In addition to the range of
motion and hip-alignment benefits, standing has been shown to improve strength and motor skills in children,” said Perlich. Getting kids up standing — those who are unable to stand like their peers — will benefit by strength- ening their body for the best func- tional outcome. In early intervention, this can be the primary goal: to improve strength and gross motor mobility, with many kids only needing the assistance of a stander shorter term to help them develop motor skills
faster. We know that movement and exploration help build cognitive skills, and standing gives the child a different position and visual field to learn from their environment while building their strength.”
Nearly Flat-Folding Tripod
The challenge for Easystand engi- neers: Build robust positioning capabilities into a stander that sets a new bar for easy transportability. The premise: Real-world portability can be key to how often a child can use the stander and how well the family will adhere to standing recommen- dations from their therapist.
The Zing Portable’s tripod-style design features three foldable legs to achieve nearly flat folding. The stander weighs less than 20 lbs. and includes a carrying handle. That handle, plus the Zing Portable’s balanced weight design, makes the stander easy to lift and transport.
“From the mechanical design standpoint, ‘folding and lightweight’ was a big departure from our
more traditional lineup of standing
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