Category Archives: Cerebral Palsy Treatment

Hamiltons new $100-million Childrens Treatment Centre will be built next to the General Hospital on Wellington Street North, in an area of the city hospital administrators say is one of Hamiltons most vulnerable neighbourhoods. McMaster Childrens Hospital officials made the surprise announcement Tuesday that the five-storey, state-of-the-art building would not be erected at the Chedoke site of Hamilton Health Sciences on the west Mountain, as originally planned. Dr. Peter Fitzgerald, president of the childrens hospital, said after further consideration, administrators realized they didnt necessarily have to construct the facility where the services are being offered now. They decided to consider a wider range of possibilities. We started being introspective, he said. We stepped back ... and wondered, What is the best location for all of Hamilton and the region? Fitzgerald noted the lower city site is surrounded by neighbourhoods identified in The Spectators Code Red series as having high rates of poverty that went hand in hand with poor health. Last summer, Laurel Broten, who was Ontarios minister of children and youth services at the time, announced Hamilton Health Sciences would receive full funding for the building that would replace four rundown Chedoke sites that house programs for young people. … Continue reading →

Home News Medical Loading Published: 3/20/2012 - Updated: 10 hours ago BY JULIE M. MCKINNON BLADE STAFF WRITER WAUSEON Northeast Ohio co-workers Laura Ramsey and Pam Haberkorn were trying gluten-free diets to help their autistic children when they learned of an alternative treatment showing promise in research: hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In the summer of 2009, the teachers took their children to a private hyperbaric oxygen center in North Carolina to get the treatment, involving pure oxygen administered at higher than atmospheric pressure. While in North Carolina, Katelyn Haberkorn, now 13, received two rounds of so-called dives and made remarkable progress, her mother said. Katelyn showed an interest in books for the first time and began talking more, making eye contact, and paying attention, Ms. Haberkorn said. "When we learned about this, we had no idea what we were going to see," said the mother of three from Medina. "She was bringing us books within a week, wanting us to read them." The two families since have found Sara's Garden, a nonprofit center in Wauseon with two hyperbaric chambers, one with five seats and another with 10. Such chambers have been used for decades, most commonly to heal wounds in diabetics … Continue reading →

The risk of premature babies developing cerebral palsy is cut by a third if the mother is given magnesium sulphate immediately before birth, new research shows. It has only been proven to work in babies born before 30 weeks, but advocates say the approach would still prevent up to 150 babies developing the chronic life-long condition every year. Doctors are hailing the development as the biggest breakthrough in preventing the debilitating condition in half a century, despite the fact it is not yet being routinely used in hospitals. The benefits of magnesium sulphate had been observed for a while, but obstetrics Professor Caroline Crowther says it was a large study in Australia and New Zealand in 2003 that gave compelling evidence. "Since then, there have been other studies conducted around world, and there are now five that contribute to what we call at meta-analysis, where the data from all those studies can be assimilated together to give a stronger recommendation," she said. Professor Crowther says it is good news for about 40 per cent of children born with cerebral palsy, who were premature babies. Since 2010, The Royal Australasian College of Obstetricians has recommended the use of magnesium sulphate, but … Continue reading →

Ethan walks with his mother Ethan Radtke walks down the sidewalk with his mother, Lisa, after getting off the school bus in front of his home in West Fargo. David Samson / The Forum Ethan Radtke makes his way down the hallway of his West Fargo home without the use of crutches. David Samson / The Forum Ethan Radtke plays with his family, brother Connor, 9, and twin sister, Ashlee, 7, along with his mother, Lisa, after returning home from school. David Samson / The Forum Online Watch Ethan Radtke walk at http://ethanwalks.blogspot.com/. WEST FARGO - As birthday presents go, this one was hard to beat. Ethan Radtke, who lives with stiff and twisted legs stemming from cerebral palsy, surprised his mother on her birthday last Oct. 23 by walking. It wasnt pretty, and it wasnt very far, but it was walking. He went from the couch to the chair, and even then it was still more falling into the chair, Lisa Radtke said. But there was that independent motion. Read more here: West Fargo boy with cerebral palsy can now walk without crutches; parents credit stem cell therapy … Continue reading →

Saturday, March 17, 2012 12:00 AM | Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend | Comments By Shavonne Potts spotts@salisburypost.com At just 7 months old, Carsun McClenney was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, one of a number of neurological disorders that affect movement. There was uncertainty about whether Carsun, who is now 4 years old, would be able to walk, said his mother, Brenna McClenney. Carsun does walk but has a scissors gait, which essentially is when the knees come in and cross over. Eventually he wont be able to walk on his own at all. When McClenneys high school classmate and friend, Kristi Andrews, heard this, she wanted to help. The McClenneys are a military family who are moving back to the China Grove area. Andrews has already returned to Kannapolis from the Marine base in Cherry Point. Her husband, Stephen, will join the family later. Andrews, a representative for the candle company Scentsy, has offered her commission for two months to pay for a motorized wheelchair Carsun will need. Original post: Cerebral palsy hindering 4-year-oldâs movement … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience Article Date: 15 Mar 2012 - 10:00 PDT email to a friend printer friendly opinions Current Article Ratings: Lauren's mother, Sandy Tierney, said: The pump's delivers a small amount of baclofen - a medication obtained from a mammalian neurotransmitter acid - into the spinal fluid giving Lauren the consistent muscle tone she needs, in order to go about her daily activities more comfortably and quickly, whereas injections and pills wore off or caused fatigue. Lauren explains, as relayed by her mother: "I don't have to take the pill any more, and then I can have breakfast quicker. It helps me get up the stairs more easily, and I'm not so tight." Benedict is currently researching how the baclofen pump and subsequent treatments affect, health, well being, care, functioning and participation in home and community life for individuals suffering with cerebral palsy and their caregivers. Cerebral palsy is one of the most prevalent congenital disorders of childhood. According to Benedict, a lot of resources are being put into supporting children who receive these interventions by health care providers to know that the baclofen pump is effective is … Continue reading →

Five-year-old Lauren's cerebral palsy used to make eating meals an ordeal, going to bed a challenge, and crawling an impossibility. But her new baclofen pump implant helps loosen and tone her muscles, making daily activities much easier to manage for Lauren and her family. "She can crawl upstairs now, allowing my 71-year-old mother... to be able to safely get Lauren upstairs and to bed," says Lauren's mother, Sandy Tierney. "She sleeps better, naps less and is happier now that her body is more predictable and responds to her." Benedict Lauren and her parents have been participating in occupational therapy professor Ruth Benedict's ongoing study to measure the functional effects of the baclofen pump for children with cerebral palsy (CP). Compared to injections and pills that wore off or caused fatigue, the pump's slow and measured release of baclofen a drug derived from a mammalian neurotransmitter acid gives Lauren the consistent muscle tone she needs to go about her life more comfortably and quickly. "I don't have to take the pill any more, and then I can have breakfast quicker," Lauren says, as relayed by her mother. "It helps me get up the stairs more easily, and I'm not so tight." … Continue reading →

Public release date: 12-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Paula Gould p.a.gould@leeds.ac.uk 44-113-343-8059 University of Leeds The number of children with conditions such as muscular dystrophy, neurodegenerative disorders or severe cerebral palsy who are surviving into adulthood has been underestimated, a new study shows. Research led from the University of Leeds, has shown that the number of children and young adults in England with a 'life limiting condition'* is far higher than had previously been thought and is increasing year on year. As numbers continue to rise, this will place a growing burden on paediatric palliative care providers and young adult services, particularly in deprived areas. The study, which is published in the journal Pediatrics, was a collaboration between the University of Leeds, Martin House Children's Hospice in Yorkshire, and the Children's Hospital, Cardiff. It was funded by the charity Together for Short Lives. Experts agree that children who are born with or contract an illness that can shorten their life, and who may not reach adulthood, should have access to specialist palliative care. This can make an enormous difference to the quality of their life and to that of their family members. Data on the use of … Continue reading →

From Monday's Globe and Mail Published Sunday, Mar. 11, 2012 7:30PM EDT A disorder in the brain affects not only the body but can rob a persons sense of identity. There are so many afflictions autism, Alzheimers and schizophrenia its no wonder some experts are calling for a War on Brain Illness the way Richard Nixon called for a War on Cancer. Brain disorders and disease in Ontario are estimated to cost $39-billion a year in health care, lost productivity and other social consequences. While there are no comparable national figures, research and treatment of brain illnesses are enormously important. Its timely, then, that the Ontario Brain Institute has launched its first three research projects, involving more than 80 researchers. Created in 2009, it recently announced therapies to diagnose and treat intractable epilepsy, better treatment for neurodevelopment disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and integrating rehabilitation and video-game technology so that those with cerebral palsy can do therapy at home. The big vision is to transform society through knowledge of how the brain works and maximizing human potential, said Dr. Don Stuss, the institutes CEO. The OBI which received $15-million over three years, brings together researchers who work in different … Continue reading →

Article posted: 3/10/2012 11:22 AM Occupational therapist Julie Woo works with Cassandra Martinez, 5, at the Easter Seals DuPage and Fox Valleys Jayne Shover Rehabilitation Center Tuesday in Elgin. Martinez has a muscle disorder that makes it harder for her to use her right hand, so her therapy includes things like climbing this rock wall to reach toys placed on rocks above. Both Julie and Cassie are from Elgin. Christopher Hankins | Staff Photographer Occupational therapist Julie Woo works with Cassandra Martinez, 5, at the Easter Seals DuPage and Fox Valleys Jayne Shover Rehabilitation Center Tuesday in Elgin. Using both hands to play with small toys helps Cassie strengthen her right hand, where the muscles arent as developed as in her left. Christopher Hankins | Staff Photographer Veronica Martinez, of Elgin, started taking her daughter Cassandra to therapy at Easter Seals shortly after she was born with cerebral palsy and limited use of her right side. Back then the Elgin office of Easter Seals DuPage and the Fox Valley was a small, dark space. Now Cassandra, 5, runs and plays in bigger rooms with plenty of natural light during her physical and occupational therapy sessions in the agencys new office … Continue reading →