Category Archives: Cerebral Palsy Treatment

Life Lessons: Surgery for Cerebral Palsy ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Bhoomi Manjunatha, 5, has been able to rely less on her walker and wheelchair, and more on her own two feet, because of a surgery performed at Nationwide Childrens Hospital. Her hard work and determination in physical and occupational therapy postsurgery has also helped Bhoomi continue to make strides. Bhoomi was born with cerebral palsy and spasticity, a muscle control disorder that involves tight or stiff muscles and the inability to control those muscles. Spasticity affects more than 12 million people worldwide, including 80 percent of people with cerebral palsy. The spinal surgery Bhoomi had in November, called selective dorsal rhizotomy, was performed by Jeffrey R. Leonard, MD, chief of Neurosurgery at Nationwide Childrens. In the operating room, the surgery team anatomically divided out dorsal nerve roots which control the sensory portion of the spinal cord. They stimulate them electronically to determine which rootlets were abnormal and section about 60 percent of the feedback to prevent the tightening and stiffness that Bhoomi experienced. The surgery went well, but my part is easy. It is Bhoomi who has months of hard work and therapy ahead of her to strengthen her muscles to … Continue reading →

Easton Jordan has seen Lauren Walier only twice, but she already has made a powerful impression. When the two spoke last month, 5-year-old Easton showed Walier a video of him using his walker without a sling to hold himself up one of his latest milestones. "He continually tells people, 'One day, I won't need a wheelchair. I won't need a walker. I will run across a field,'" said his mother, Jill Jordan. The kindergartner from Orchard Park, and Walier, 19, who lives outside Atlanta, have three big things in common: cerebral palsy, a steely determination and a novel physical therapy that has helped take Walier from a wheelchair to a walker, then a crutch to a cane and, during the last year, to the top of the ballroom dancing world. Easton recently became one of the first people in Western New York to begin an intensive form of physical therapy called the Symptom Recovery Model, which aims to retrain the body's muscles, joints and tendons to become less spastic and more flexible. The model is largely unused and unknown outside Georgia, where Sue Leger, a doctor of physical therapy, has developed and improved it during the last dozen years in … Continue reading →

Sunday lunch at the Umtamvuna River Lodge was a lovely family affair for Ryan (left), Kyle (3) and Ezette Hood of Port Edward. GABRIELLA Dry (4) of Port Edward was born prematurely at only 29 weeks. After 75 days in NICU and a few complications she was left with neurological damage. At a year she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Ellas life has been full of challenges, but it never stops her smiling and living life to the fullest. YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN :Little Warrior Princess needs your help At the moment Ella and her mom Nicole are in Johannesburg for grommet surgery, blood tests and intensive hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Parents Kevin and Nicole of the Umtamvuna River Lodge are trying to raise funds to get Gabriella to India for stem cell treatment as this form of therapy has proven hugely beneficial with this type of cerebral palsy. Digger succumbs Well-respected local Digger (Digby) Elliott of Leisure Bay (77) died from heart failure at the Port Shepstone Regional Hospital on May 26. He underwent surgery for a collapsed lung in October last year and never fully recovered. Little Gabriella Dry (4) with mom Nicole at … Continue reading →

Stecklein Submitted Koerner Chiropractic and Physical Therapy, 2707 Vine, Ste. 1, has welcomed physical therapist Dr. JillianStecklein, PT, DPT, to the practice. Stecklein grew up in suburban Chicago. After completing her bachelors of science in molecular and cellular biology and psychology from the University of Urbana-Champaign, she completed her doctorate of physical therapy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has a great passion for physical therapy and has wanted to be a physical therapist since high school. She previously was the clinic manager and physical therapist at Coal Creek Physical Therapy in Colorado. She is excited to be living in Hays and working at Koerner Chiropractic & Physical Therapy. She met her husband, Kelton, who is from Hays, while at a catholic adventure camp in the Rockies. She finds great joy in serving the community with her skills and experience. She enjoys sharing time with her family, the outdoors, cooking, bible studies, competing in triathlons, and volunteering to help the underserved. She brings a variety of exceptional skills and knowledge for treatment including: post-surgical rehab, vestibular rehab, concussion management, and excellent skills for management of acute and chronic pain. Whether you are looking to play on the ground … Continue reading →

TREATMENT: Aiden during one of his sessions with physiotherapist Sharon A BRAVE toddler with cerebral palsy has undergone his first set of groundbreaking treatment thanks to the generosity of the public. Aiden Mitchell, who is two, was informally diagnosed with the condition after a complicated birth. Parents Fleur and Keith have been fundraising to pay for groundbreaking neurological therapy from Napa, a company based in Los Angeles. The therapy is a mixture of neuro-suit work, Cuevas Medek Exercise and speech and language therapy. Each three week course costs nearly $9,000. Mum Fleur said: There is nowhere to get the same sort of intensity in the UK with the same experience the therapists from the US have. It helps him progress between four and six months in each session. It is a long hard process and progress is slow but as long as it is heading in the right direction it is worth it. The Witham couple have collected thousands of pounds for Aidens treatment with things like boxing matches, raffles and individual donations. Along the way they have secured the support of famous faces like Withams Olly Murs and Aiden won a Pride of Essex award in 2015. Mrs Mitchell … Continue reading →

Trinidad Guardian You are here Trinidad Guardian During the 1980s oil boom, I got a call from the mother of a child with cerebral palsy whom I had not seen for years. She said she had good news, she had discovered a new treatment for CP, her child had improved dramatically and she wanted to share the ... Read more here: You are here - Trinidad Guardian … Continue reading →

KDRV Crowds Gather to Watch Premiere of "Shake It Off" Fundraiser Video KDRV The Ashland Firefighters Association teamed up with Gabriel Alrifai to help create a music video to raise money for Luke's medical treatment. He was born with Dystonic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy and Dysarthia. The idea for the video came from Luke's ... and more » Read the original post: Crowds Gather to Watch Premiere of "Shake It Off" Fundraiser Video - KDRV … Continue reading →

Tuhin Dey has always been a class topper. He showed it once again by scoring 88% in his CBSE Class X examinations. He hopes one day to be part of IIT Kharagpur one day. What sets the 17-year-old apart, however, is that he forges ahead in chasing his dreams despite being confined to a wheelchair, unable to move, write with a pen or type on a computer. Hailing from Medinipur in West Bengal, Tuhin was diagnosed at birth with cerebral palsy and arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, a disorder that affects the joints and limits flexibility. But for the teen, who has undergone at least 20 surgeries, the condition was an obstacle like any other to be overcome. As extraordinary as it may seem, Tuhin taught himself to fix a pen between his jaws and now writes as efficiently as any other student in his class. When on the computer, he uses his lips to operate the keyboard. "I have been operating a computer for last seven years and I am now going to master programming in C, C++, Java, and HTML languages," a proud Tuhin says. What is exceptional is that he has so far refrained from availing any additional facility … Continue reading →

Dr. Jennifer Brown of Northeastern Reproductive Medicine in Colchester discusses the challenges she faces in getting access to the operating rooms at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS Neurosurgery procedure with Dr. Tranmer at UVM Medical Center.(Photo: COURTESY OF UVM MEDICAL CENTER) Several doctors in private practiceare pushing back against UVM Medical Center's claim that operating room time is readily available at the hospital, despite fearing what these doctors say could be serious consequences for speaking out. "People are afraid of repercussions," Dr. Mark Healey said. "They do have a monopoly there and they have a history of playing rough. People want to speak up, but it can jeopardize their careers." The issue of operating room access is front and center in the local medical community because of the long-running effort by a group of investors to open a private surgery center in Colchester, which would be an alternative to UVM Medical Center for certain surgeries and procedures. Healey echos other independent doctors who agree with his assessment of UVM Medical Center's grip on the health care marketplace in Vermont, but would not speak on the record. Healey joined UVM Medical Center in 1999 as … Continue reading →

Reaching for the Stars is organizing atown-hall meeting Saturday, June 3, to spread information about the latest advances in caring for children with cerebral palsy. The free eventis scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta Office Park at 1680 Tullie Circle, between Brookhaven and Toco Hills off North Druid Hills Road, in Building 1680, Classroom 5. The scheduled speakers include Joshua Vova, a pediatric physiatrist and medical director of CHOA rehabilitation services; Erin Eggebrecht, a physical therapist with the Childrens Center for Advanced Technology and Robotic Rehabilitation; Ayanna Howard, a Georgia Tech professor and the chief technology officer of Zyrobotics; and Lisa Wyatt and Wendy Sullivan, parents of children with CP. The town hall is part of the Reaching for the Stars foundations Blazing New Trails initiative to bring information and support to families dealing with the disease. Blazing New Trailsalso involvesnonprofit BlazeSports Americaand hassponsorship by Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals. The program aims to educate patients and their families about overall management, physical and occupational therapies, and adaptive technologies that could help children living with CP. Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of motor disability in children, affecting an average of 1 in 323 children in … Continue reading →