A standing frame (also known as a stand, stander, standing technology, standing aid, standing device, standing box, tilt table) is assistive technology that can be used by a person who relies on a wheelchair for mobility. A standing frame provides alternative positioning to sitting in a wheelchair by supporting the person in the standing position.
Common types of standers include: sit to stand, prone, supine, upright, multi-positioning standers, and standing wheelchairs. Long leg braces are also a standing device but not used often today.
Standers are used by people with mild to severe disabilities such as spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, Rett syndrome, and post-polio syndrome.
Standers are used by people with both paraplegia and quadriplegia since a variety of support options are available to accommodate for mild to severe disabilities. Doug Betters and Mike Utley are both former NFL football players who are quadriplegics due to spinal cord injury. They both stand using active standers.
Bone mineral loss and osteoporosis are common consequences after spinal cord injury. Therapeutic standing, a weight-bearing intervention that can be applied using a standing frame, has traditionally been incorporated into rehabilitation programs for those with chronic spinal cord injury in order to prevent osteoporosis.[1] A systematic review of the literature conducted by Biering-Sorenson et al. (2009) shows that therapeutic standing in the chronic phase of injury, defined as one year after injury, has no effect on maintaining bone density. Results on the effectiveness of therapeutic standing during the first year of injury are conflicting and show that shorter, less aggressive intervention is less effective. If therapeutic standing is to be incorporated into treatment, it should be more aggressive and initiated in the early stages of injury if any beneficial impacts on bone mineral density are hoped to be achieved.[2]
Standing devices are used in a variety of settings including:
Funding (government funding or health insurance) for standing equipment is achievable in most developed countries, but usually requires medical justification and a letter of medical necessity (a detailed medical prescription) written by a physical therapist or medical professional.