Health Law

New Robotic Therapy Helps Children with Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a disability that affects an estimated 8,000 babies each year. This neurological condition can have a lifelong impact on the movement and coordination of the body. Due to the nature of this disability and its affect on the brain and muscles, many children who live with cerebral palsy require a wheelchair or walker to move around. Not only is this technology helping kids move in a more normal fashion, but according to researchers it's also helping kids with cerebral palsy feel more confident.

Little Girl Benefits From Technology

Jenna Culleeney was born with bleeding in her brain, which caused her to be born with the disability, cerebral palsy. At sixteen weeks she reportedly weighed a mere pound and a half. After having surgery to break and re-set her legs, she was still having trouble to walk says her mother, Nannette.
To help Jenna walk the therapists at Shriners' Hospital for Children strapped her into a robotic machine that has recently been shown to help children with the disability balance and find a way to walk that works for them. The legs of the machine have been specially designed for children's legs.
 

Therapy Details
 

The machine enables children to repeat the same motion on a consistent basis. This helps their muscles become stronger and even increases their endurance. There are currently six centers across the United States that are using this type of robotic therapy for children with the cerebral palsy disability.


 

Full post as published by Cerebral Palsy Law Blog on September 19, 2009 (boomark / email).