The following is a guest blog from Billi Cusick, PT, MS, COF, President of Progressive GaitWays, LLC and Developer of the TheraTogs System. Billi wrote this informative letter for her regular newsletter, The Pacesetter. She has kindly given me permission to reproduce it for the readership of this site. I post it with my full endorsement. Supporting the core (trunk and hips) is crucial to the development of movement and also for the correction of any established maladaptive movement pattern. I hope you enjoy this post and will join me in asking Billi to post more in the future!

An Open Letter to Caretakers and Therapists for Children with Diplegic CP

I’ve seen hundreds of families of children with diplegia, in consultation sessions in which I routinely undertake an orthopedic assessment and evaluate postural control, movement strategies, and existing orthoses. Common denominators have emerged that appear to operate to contribute to common problems of contracture development and recurrence, and to diminishing movement skills so often seen with advancing age in children with diplegia.

I’ve composed the attached letter for caretakers and therapists of children with diplegia to bring them together in their understanding of the sources of many common musculoskeletal problems, and of the fundamental skills and strategies that are needed for effective remediation.

Pacesetter readers are welcome to share this letter with their colleagues, clients, and prescribing physicians.

See also
www.theratogs.com
www.progressivegaitways.com
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly Facts About Growth and Recovery
Is Malalignment Malpractice?
Poor Alignment Equals Chronic Pain