E-stim

The most exciting development I am seeing in e-stim is the new EMG activated e-stim. Karen Pape MD from Canada is teaching a course in New York about this technique. I first head about the unit last year from a teacher who used it to assess the effectiveness of kinesio tape. Here is the link to the course info:

21st Century Neuroplastic Interventions in Pediatric Rehabilitation Integrating EMG-Triggered-Stimulation and Biofeedback into an evidence-based pediatric rehabilitation practice model Karen Pape, MD and Pia Stampe, PT, DPT May 16 & 17 2008

To learn more click here

Therasuit

You probably know about the therasuit developed in the United States and based on the Adeli Suit. This was a byproduct from the Soviet space program. They developed this suit for adults to provide deep pressure and resistance to movement for the cosmonauts while afloat in space to keep their muscles from getting weaker and to stimulate the bones. Well this suit is now available in clinics and for at home to strengthen children with CP. It gives them stability and allows some of them to move through space (walk) with external support. I would say it is an extraskeletal support system comparable in function to Theratogs. The advantage of the theratogs is that you can wear it all day under your clothes. Some clinics do use both together. The therasuit in therapy and at home and the theratogs the rest of the time. Check it out and learn more at the association for intense therapy.

Nada chair

How do you stretch out those hamstrings in a child with CP? Or should I say why do the hamstrings fire so much? Question one is relatively easy. I like using a NADA chair at home with knee immobilizers. It is a fast and cheap way to get the child to do his or her daily hamstring stretches. The reason those hamstrings fire so much with children with CP has to do with the distribution of weight. Look at where the weight line goes. Does it go from shoulders to hips and then to feet (upright standing) or does it go too far forward? Mostly to far forward so we have these clients on their toes and this activates the hamstrings. Try it at home. Stand on the inside of your feet and feel the weight shift forward. This would turn on your hamstrings.