Treatment methods

 NMES is a treatment modality used to strengthen muscle, reduce increased muscle tone, reduce tightness and improve range at joints for the purpose of attaining motor milestones from head control, tummy time, rolling,  crawling, sitting, pulling up to stand to walk. When used for a very long time,  MOTOR LEARNING takes place which is permanently teaching the brain the movement patterns which would have been lost due to neurological insult. 

The unit has wires and a pair of electrodes placed over the chosen muscles of either the leg, hands or torso. The impulse from the unit is passed through the muscles mimicking a normal contraction. 

NMES also makes the home program easy. The therapist could teach families simple exercises with the unit while the therapist can perform the complex ones at the clinic.

1. Read the Article by  Dr  Yocheved Bensinger-Brody & Jovial Lewis "published in Elite Learning PT Magazine" in the learning resources section.  
2. Read the letter for parents explaining the benefits of NMES and FES in children.
3. Videos of a treatment session of two children in her homes receiving NMES for balance challenges  is posted in learning resource section.

NDT is one of the most popular philosophies of physical therapy treatment for neurological deficits and diagnoses. It forms the basis of the very principles therapists use for training babies and children with developmental delays and neurological diagnoses the standard movement patterns lost or dampened due to the neurological insult.

How can one make sure the child is in an optimal posture throughout the day with less effort? Rehabilitation is incomplete without proper carryover after a therapy session. Children with neurological issues have multiple levels of involvement in the spine, rib cage, torso, pelvis, hip, knee and shoulders due to various reasons like weakness and muscle stiffness leading to poor posture. It takes a few weeks to months for some children with pull together multiple muscles and joints to maintain a good posture throughout the day. A soft orthosis or compressive garments like SPIO, Benik vest or Theratogs are better options than rigid plastic support systems for posture,  in children who have difficulty doing so. Theratogs are used for more complex cases with multi-level involvement.

The therapist will train families how to use them

In children, kinesiotape is used for purpose of reminding a muscle when to act and when to relax.  The sensory input from the tape over muscle provides constant reminder to do it's job. It is a hypoallergenic tape applied by therapist over the skin of a muscle or joint.

It is a battery-operated partial weight bearing (PWB) system which holds the child in an upright position while taking off some body weight off the legs for various exercises in stand position or for specific tasks of training walking over the treadmill.

This therapeutic grade treadmill provides a low speed for walk training starting from 0.1mph, which is unavailable in commercial treadmills.