Space suit technology helps Minnesota patients walk again

[KSTP-TV News, April 22, 2022] Revolutionary technology is helping patients at Allina Health’s Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute get back on their feet. The Lite Run system was designed to reduce the weight a patient needs to support themselves.

“I love it because I can start walking again,” said Tony Lancaster, a Courage Kenny patient. “I actually walked the farthest I’ve walked in a long time.”

Lancaster has spent months rebuilding his strength after a stroke in November. The bleeding on the right side of his brain caused paralysis on the left side of his body.

The technology includes a pants that resemble snow pants. Therapists fill the pants with air, an amount which they can adjust. The air pressure essentially lifts the patient, reducing their body weight. It’s used to help patients who’ve experienced a spinal cord injury, brain injury or a stroke.