Some Thoughts About the Stigma of Using Assistive Devices

  Recently I’ve been reading a lot of forum and blog posts by young people — those still in high school — about the stigma of using assistive devices (walkers, wheelchairs, canes, crutches, etc.) and they all say pretty much the same thing. Assistive devices, of course, help,…

Robotic Gait Training for Kids with Cerebral Palsy: Is It Really Effective?

Researchers at Canada’s University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine are investigating the effectiveness of a gait training program on a robotic device called Lokomat compared to regular physical therapy for enhancing walking abilities in pediatric cerebral palsy (CP) patients. The research is being conducted at the Glenrose…

FDA Approves Dysport for Lower Limb Spasticity in Pediatric Patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals’ supplemental Biologics License Application for Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA) injection for the treatment of lower limb spasticity in pediatric patients ages 2 and older. Patients with spasticity have an abnormal increase in muscle tone or stiffness, which may interfere with movement or…

Altered Muscle Activation in Cerebral Palsy Impacts Rehabilitation

When patients with cerebral palsy (CP) exercise on a recumbent bicycle, their muscles tend to activate in ways that differ from healthy people, which reduces potential benefits of rehabilitative training, according to a study from the Rechts der Isar Hospital and the Technical University of Munich in Germany. The…

Sialanar for Drooling in CP Children Headed to Okay in EU

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the approval of Proveca’s Sialanar (glycopyrronium bromide) for the treatment of severe drooling in children and adolescents with neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy. Children with cerebral palsy and other motor or neurological disorders…

Oral Health Needs Attention in Kids with Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome

Children with disabilities may need particular attention to their dental care, according to a new study from researchers in Spain. The research report detailing the findings is titled “Oral health in children with physical (Cerebral Palsy) and intellectual (Down Syndrome) disabilities: Systematic review I,“ and the study…