spider therapy
Spider Therapy is an intense physiotherapy treatment approach which was originally developed in Poland. It involves suspending the child or young person in the centre of a universal exercise unit (UEU) by using a number of elastic bungee cords of different elasticity. This approach allows each and every patient the opportunity to practise any functional position for as long as tolerated including standing, walking, sit to stands, four point kneeling and many more. It is really helpful for us as therapists as it allows us another set of hands to work on different aspects of your movement.
gait/Treadmill training
Treadmill training is a heavily researched and effective tool to help children and young people learn to walk or take steps in their mobility aids or independently. We have a number of treadmills in our centre and are able to help with home setups for families wanting that ongoing continuous improvement from the comfort of their own home. We often use music and videos to motivate our young people when completing longer distances and challenging climbs on the treadmill.
electrical stimulation devices
Electrical stimulation (often referred to as NMES or FES) is a way of stimulating specific nerves surrounding a muscle. It is effective for strengthening muscles, managing muscle tone and overall improving function. The Omni Hi Five is one of our favourite pieces of equipment and works on both FES and EMG based stimulations. This allows people to initiate the movement themselves first before being supported by the device.
The target is either to switch the muscle off or on for the patient, enabling us to practice skills, build strength, reduce stiffness and reduce pain. We also use a number of foot drop stimulators that allow users to pick their toes up while walking, helping to reduce tripping and falling along with improving gait cycle. All new equipment has medical grade stainless steel electrodes for ease and comfort of use.
SDR- pre-op and post-op rehab
We have a wealth of knowledge and have worked with over a thousand children and young people both pre and post SDR and have met and worked closely with Dr Park and his amazing team at St Louis. We work closely with all SDR teams across the UK and in America to get the best outcomes for each and every person. SDR is one of the main sections of our developmental team due to it's transformational impact for the suitable patient. We are open and willing to liaise with all teams whether in local services or independently when getting the best outcomes for your child pre and post operation. We have also completed training days with Mr Aquilina who works at both GOSH and The Portland Hospitals.
Therasuit
Therasuit® is a soft canvas suit with bungee-like cords attached, often used alongside the Universal Exercise Cage, also called the Spider Cage. This equipment helps children to learn new and correct patterns of movement through strengthening and functional skills practice. By adding resistance to movement the suit is helping to improve muscle strengthening with movement alongside large improvements with proprioception benefits. This type of therapy is suitable for all ages and particularly helps when managing spasticity and dyskinesia.
Walkaide 2 Foot Drop Stimulation
The Walkaide assists by stimulating the dorsiflexor muscle in the leg. It works by picking the foot up stopping the toes from dragging along the floor. At the part in your walking pattern when the foot lifts off the floor is when your toes often catch or spasticity points your toes down. This is exactly the same point that the very clever Walkaide stimulates the toes into lifting and raising. This helps neuroplasticity develop by connecting the signals from the foot to the spinal cord and brain working together to improve foot drop, manage muscle tone and improve strength. The aim for some children and young people is to use this for specific periods of time and train the brain and the muscles to be able to complete this independently. This piece of equipment is used widely in the adult population also.
DMI Therapy
Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) is a therapeutic technique used in physical and occupational therapy to treat children with motor delay by improving automatic postural responses and promoting progress towards developmental milestones. The goal of DMI is to provoke a specified active motor response from the child in response to defined dynamic exercises prescribed by the therapist. This comprehensive intervention incorporates current research on neurorehabilitation, technologies, and methodologies. DMI stimulates neuroplasticity to facilitate new neuronal connections and development of motor milestones.