Cerebral palsy CP

CP in Motion Conference in Calgary

Share your thoughts on research in cerebral palsy. What do researchers need to know about living with CP? In conjunction with the NeuroDevNet Brain Development Conference 2016, the annual CP in Motion conference will include a patient … READ MORE

New approaches to orthotic management in children with cerebral palsy

Practitioners look to novel ways of using familiar lower limb orthotic alternatives to complement new technology. No single treatment is appropriate for every child, but it is generally agreed that the sooner intervention is started … READ MORE

AFOs for kids with cerebral palsy improve stability

Researchers report that the use of ankle-foot orthoses, or AFOs, improve the backward margin of stability in children with cerebral palsy (CP) diplegia, a form of the condition affecting both sides of the body. Pinterest Magdalena … READ MORE

Robotic gait training for kids with CP: Is it really effective?

UAlberta study recruiting children to evaluate Lokomat gait training program. Researchers at Canada’s University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine are investigating the effectiveness of a gait training program on a … READ MORE

To brace or not to brace? Bracing for neuromuscular conditions

There is no doubt about it: braces are a pain. Sometimes they are a literal pain, causing pain for your child. And sometimes they are a more figurative pain in the rear end—difficult to deal with, difficult to get on and off, … READ MORE

Neuropsych — our experience

When our doctors first started talking about visiting a Neuropsych, they were having conversations with each other, while we were in the room. “Do you think a neuropsych would help?” … “Yes, but not yet…” or “Has he … READ MORE

CP studies assess advantages of flexible AFOs for children

The flexibility of an ankle foot orthosis (AFO) does not necessarily affect walking economy in children with cerebral palsy (CP), but more flexible AFOs may be particularly beneficial for sports activities in higher-performing … READ MORE

Walk this way: New metric could help kids with cerebral palsy

For more than 20 years, clinicians working with children with cerebral palsy have been gathering “a deluge of data” to understand and treat their patients’ walking difficulties. But they still weren’t sure which children with … READ MORE

The horse is the therapist

With hippotherapy, the horse provides the therapy. Three-year-old Jack Foster sat on his mother’s lap as she wrapped a towel carefully around his neck. “Jack has cerebral palsy and low muscle tone,” said his mother, Emily … READ MORE

Apple store welcomes YouTube sensation Christopher Hills with assistive tech

At just 18 years old, Christopher Hills is already a YouTube sensation and master video producer and editor. The Sunshine Coast teenager – who likes Doctor Who, Marvel movies and Star Wars but is most passionate about aviation … READ MORE

Walking study in CP highlights need for tailored orthotic prescription

Effects of AFOs on distance, speed vary.. A recent study demonstrates the importance of personalizing prescriptions for ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) in children with cerebral palsy, rather than applying group data to individuals. … READ MORE

Stability for CP: AFOs benefit diplegic children

In children with diplegic cerebral palsy (CP), wearing bilateral ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) that promote heel-first ground contact helps to improve stability and may reduce the risk of falls, according to research presented in March … READ MORE

Benefits of exercise for children with cerebral palsy supported by study of elite paralympic athletes

For highly trained Paralympic athletes with cerebral palsy (CP), bone mineral density and other measures of body composition are similar to those of able-bodied adults of similar age, reports a study in the American Journal of … READ MORE

FES showed no benefits in patients with isolated foot drop

Patients with hemiplegia who used a functional electrical stimulation device for isolated foot drop showed no significant functional differences during gait, according to results presented at the Association of Children’s … READ MORE

Finding a footwear-AFO fit for kids

Finding shoes that fit over ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) is a challenge for thousands of children with neuromuscular disorders that affect walking ability. Parents have waited patiently while custom AFOs were molded and fitted, only to … READ MORE

Improving surgery outcomes for children with cerebral palsy

Children with cerebral palsy frequently undergo invasive surgeries — lengthening tendons, rotating bones, transferring muscles to new locations — in hopes of improving their physical ability to walk or move. Walk-DMC is a new, … READ MORE

Mobility plays important role in development for toddlers with disabilities

Typical toddlers simultaneously spend about three hours a day in physical activity, play and engagement with objects such as toys, while their peers with mobility disabilities are less likely to engage in all of those behaviors at the … READ MORE

Adapted bike program gets disabled kids on the move

As Calgarians young and old get out to take advantage of the early summer-like weather, some youngsters face significant obstacles to the simple pleasure of riding a bike. Jeremiah Botbijl, 6, rides a customized bicycle while being … READ MORE

Robotic device aids research for children with brain injury

Max Challoner, 12, demonstrates the KINARM robotic device at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary on Monday, April 4, 2016. Researchers Andrea Kuczynski and Dr. Adam Kirton helped develop the device which measures proprioception, … READ MORE

AFO users must rethink concept of ‘normal’ gait

Ankle foot orthoses can make a neuromuscular patient’s gait pattern more like that of an unaffected person, but the devices can also be associated with compensations of their own. And in some patients, a more ‘normal’ gait … READ MORE

Hemiplegic CP: Effects in the uninvolved limb

In patients with spastic hemiplegic CP, practitioners and researchers tend to focus primarily on the hemiplegic limb. But hemiplegia also leads to impairments in the uninvolved limb, which are important to consider when designing a … READ MORE

Exercise prescription for chronic conditions: A how-to guide

Exercise can be an effective component of treatment for many chronic conditions from knee osteoarthritis to type 2 diabetes, but physicians must be aware of the details of evidence-based interventions for the specific condition to … READ MORE

Life with Emily: The special people enriching the lives of special needs kids

Emily Pitchers, 16, adores her older sister, Lorcan, and they enrich each others lives with their relationship. Christina Ryan, Calgary Herald. By Christina Ryan, as told to Doug Hintz, Calgary Herald March 18, 2016 It is the simple … READ MORE

Horses sooth the soul for special needs kids

The healing power of equine therapy. A pink-haired teenager painted two pictures on the side of her massive, living canvas. First, the girl drew a picture of a broken heart and a horse. Then, she used the paint to sketch a person and … READ MORE

Adaptive bikes offer new freedom to kids with special needs

Over 100 children with various special needs were fitted with customized bikes in Spruce Grove on Sunday. Similarly, support for The CP Kids Adapted Bike Program in Calgary is huge. See you in Calgary on April 2, 2016. Details and … READ MORE

Vibration therapy improves mobility and strength in young people with cerebral palsy

Young adults with cerebral palsy enjoy stronger bones and greater mobility after training on a specialised vibration plate. Mobility-enhancing care in CP helps strengthen bones. Kids at the Atlanta center work on improving motor … READ MORE

Michael Sametz, Para-cyclist on the road to Rio

Michael is overjoyed to represent Canada at the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – fulfilling a dream that began at age 12. Michael grew up in Calgary, participating in and watching many sports while dreaming about competing in … READ MORE

iPad opens world to a disabled boy

OWEN CAIN depends on a respirator and struggles to make even the slightest movements — he has had a debilitating motor-neuron disease since infancy. Photo by Alene Tchekmedyian, L.A. Times By Emily B. Hager, The New York Times … READ MORE

Ankle-foot orthoses improve CP gait

Strategies alter ankle, knee kinematics. Floor-reaction ankle foot orthoses and wedge-based tuning significantly improve ankle and knee kinematics in children with cerebral palsy, according to separate studies from Greenvile, SC, and … READ MORE

A teenager who can’t speak finally sounds like himself

Electronic communication devices are evolving from robotic speech to personalized voices. Max Plansky is 16 years old, and like any teenager, he is trying to find his own voice. But for Max, the effort is complicated by the fact that … READ MORE

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