For Physical & Occupational Therapists
The Missing DME for Stairs
Stair mobility is the number one barrier to discharge. Rehab medicine has had no equipment answer. Shower chairs. Tub transfer benches. Scooting. None of them were built for stairs. SAW is a DME device built specifically for stairs.
Invented by a Doctor of Physical Therapy
3 USPTO utility patents
1-year limited warranty
The current standard of care
The answer has always been a workaround.
Ask a PT what their current stair process is. The answer is always one of four things. A shower chair. A tub transfer bench. Scooting. Hopping on one leg with a crutch.
None of those devices were designed for stairs. They were designed for showers and tubs. Every time a PT puts a shower chair on a staircase, they're using it outside of manufacturer guidelines.
The patient knows it. The PT knows it. Everyone has been making the best of a situation that has had no real equipment answer.
Until SAW.
Your liability exposure
With the right tool, you can help with stairs safely and with confidence.
Shower chairs and tub transfer benches are manufactured for showers and tubs. When a PT uses one on a staircase, they're operating outside of manufacturer guidelines. That's off-label use. Every time.
Some PT directors are already banning shower chairs for stair training for exactly this reason.
SAW is designed and manufactured specifically for stairs.
Clinical credibility
Designed by a Doctor of Physical Therapy.
Josh Sigsworth spent 16 years watching patients scoot down stairs, hop on one leg, and grip a railing while a PT held their breath. Every clinical setting. The same improvised answer.
He built SAW because he was the doctor of physical therapy improvising.
When performing independent clinical evaluations, all three principal investigators reached the same conclusion: SAW will increase hospital discharge rates and reduce readmissions.
Patient criteria
The patients you're currently improvising with.
If a patient has stair mobility as a discharge barrier and meets the criteria below, SAW is worth evaluating. The diagnostic range is broad.
Inclusion criteria
– Moderate Assist or better (patient performs approximately 50% of the task)
– Able to stand and sit with Moderate Assist or less
– Able to bend knees and hips so feet reach the ground when seated
– Height 5'2" to 6'0", weight 300 lbs or less
– Caregiver available who meets caregiver criteria
Not appropriate when
– Patient does not have a caregiver
– Patient does not have at least one handrailing on the stairs
– Patient does not meet the Moderate Assist threshold
Diagnoses evaluated in clinical use
Stroke, lower extremity amputation, femur fracture with secondary other diagnoses including COPD, diabetes, left foot drop, lung cancer, chronic kidney disease, prostate cancer, colon cancer, A-Fib.
One device. One caregiver. No workaround stack.
Insurance & funding
The answer PTs always ask first.
No DME for stairs is covered in the United States.
But, SAW is HSA and FSA eligible.
A stairlift costs $2,000 to $8,000 and only fixes one staircase. SAW is $1,149 and they can take it with them wherever they go.
SAW certification
Become a SAW Certified™ Caregiver.
The certification covers patient evaluation, device setup, stair protocol, and guarding technique. Video tutorials, written lessons, and quizzes. About 30 minutes. Free.
Get SAW CertifiedBring SAW to your facility
Request an in-service.
The fastest way to evaluate SAW is to get it in your hands. We'll come to your facility, walk through the device with your team, and run through the clinical protocol together.