Physical therapist Dana Lykins demonstrated the BalanceWear vest at the Baptist Health location on Alysheba Way. The vest is for many types of patients who have balance problems. LEXINGTONHERALD-LEADER|BuyPhoto
For Jessica Embry, success is carrying a cup of water without spilling it.
Because Embry, 59, of Lexington has spinocerebellar atrophy, a neurological disease that affects her balance and ability to walk smoothly, that simple task eluded her.
But after receiving physical therapy and being fitted with a BalanceWear vest, things improved dramatically for her.
"I am so pleased," she said. "I don't know what to do. I went from way down to way up."
"Now, I wear it every day all day long," she said. "I even exercise in it."
Embry's vest was fitted with small, strategically placed weights in increments of an eighth of a pound. When fitted properly, the weights can have an immediate impact on how steady a person feels when standing and walking, said Dana Lykins, the physical therapist who fitted Embry.
Lykins, who works at neurological outpatient physical therapy at Baptist Health Rehab, said she has seen significant improvement in about 80 percent of her patients who wear the vest. She is so impressed that she is helping to train other physical therapists statewide on using the BalanceWear vest properly.
"A lot of patients just feel like, 'Whoa, I feel so grounded,'" she said.
Cynthia Gibson-Horn, a California-based physical therapist, created the vest 13 years ago. She is now vice president and chief technology officer of Motion Therapeutics Inc., which produces BalanceWear vests.
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Weighted vest helps patients improved balance