Erik is a healthy 48 year old with spastic diplegia, a type of cerebral palsy that primarily affects his legs. The following is his story of dramatic change in just […]
Intrathecal Baclofen Pump In Cerebral Palsy
Full-term pattern cerebral palsy comes in two varieties, one of which can be helped by a Baclofen Pump. The major indication for use of a pump in a child with […]
Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) in Cerebral Palsy
It is important to distinguish between Preterm and Full-term pattern cerebral palsy. The circles on the stick figures indicate the areas of highest tone in the two conditions. The brain […]
Botox, Orthopedic Surgery, Posterior Rhizotomy and/or a Baclofen Pump?
What do you need to know to make the best choice(s)? I have both good news and bad news. The good news is that there are a wide variety of […]
A New Way Of Thinking About AFO’s – Spasticity Series #6
The boy on the left with a ball is wearing a set of standard issue AFO’s that block the spastic tendency to plantar flex at the ankle. The boy on […]
First the Trunk, Then the Ankle – Spasticity #5
There is a continuing debate about the use of ankle supports/braces in children with cerebral palsy. In my experience, where there are polarized opinions, it usually means that there are […]
Spasticity is a Body and Brain Habit
Spasticity is a term used to describe tone changes that are common in cerebral palsy. Unfortunately, it is a generic term that is effectively useless when applied to a specific […]
What About Spasticity?
I recently received a very good email from a parent asking about why I… and many others… seem to talk more about CP than about spasticity. She wants to know […]
Water Exercise for Children with Cerebral Palsy
A little girl with moderate to severe athetoid CP first found freedom of movement using a Wet Vest to jog in the water. This is what her mother said about […]
Minimize Maladaptive Motor Habits
Whatever you do, your body will learn to do better. If you are walking badly, your body will learn how to do badly better. Over a long period of time […]