Category Archives: Cerebral Palsy Treatment

Operation involves cutting the nerves in the spine to release the spasticity (tension) in AJs muscles By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 04:08 EST, 18 June 2012 | UPDATED: 04:10 EST, 18 June 2012 A little boy born with cerebral palsy has taken his first steps just days after a life-changing operation in America. AJ Tighe, from Newton Heath, Manchester, was unable to walk unaided because of his condition but less than three weeks after a pioneering operation in Missouri he has defied the odds by bravely taking his first strides. Members of the public helped six-year-old AJs family raise the 50,000 needed for the four-hour operation following a 10-month fundraising campaign. His mother Leeanne, who is terrified of heights, even managed a 300ft bungee jump as part of their mission. Standing tall: AJ Tighe's mother Leeanne said his progress has been remarkable. He recently managed 15 unaided steps Doctors have said AJs progress since the operation has been remarkable and proud mother Leeanne said watching her son take his first unaided steps had made all the hard work worthwhile. She said: 'It was an unbelievable moment, it was everything we have dreamed of for so long and something we thought … Continue reading →

18 June 2012 Last updated at 01:25 ET A mother from Northern Ireland who has cared for her severely disabled son for almost 20 years has joined calls for carers to be given more support. Tracey Sloan has been describing how she put her own health at risk because of the strain of looking after her son Philip who has cerebral palsy. She postponed a cancer check-up because there was no-one to look after him, but was later diagnosed with the disease. Her call comes as a survey found carers are sacrificing their own health. The study, carried out to mark Carers Week, suggested that 40% of people who look after family members or close friends put off their own medical treatment in order to meet the needs of those for whom they care. For the past 19 years, Ms Sloan's daily routine has been dictated by the demanding medical needs of her son, who suffered a seizure at birth. Your mental health drags you down. It's hard to keep going all the time. Three months later Philip was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and was not expected to live beyond the age of three. However, the teenager has defied the … Continue reading →

Heidi Franklin with her son Rhys. Photo: Bill Smith Emma Knights Saturday, June 16, 2012 6:30 AM A mum has praised the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital team who has helped her young son to walk. To send a link to this page to a friend, simply enter their email address below. The message will include the name and email address you gave us when you signed up. Send link To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in. Five-year-old Rhys Franklin, from Swardeston, near Norwich, was diagnosed with hemiplegia cerebral palsy in 2008 when he was just over a year old. His condition meant he had trouble standing and walking unaided because of tight muscle tone on his right side. But following much treatment - including physiotherapy, and botox and a half-hour operation to release tightness in his muscles - he is now able to stand and walk on his own although he wears splints to keep his feet and legs in the right positions. His mum Heidi Franklin, 36, said she was so proud of Rhys, who goes to Mulbarton Infant School, when he took his first unaided steps in February this … Continue reading →

Thomas Arnett, 14, who has cerebral palsy, doing well after operation to allow him to walk 10:30am Thursday 14th June 2012 in News A TEENAGER from York is said to be doing well after undergoing the five-and-a-half hour operation he hopes will allow him to walk for the first time in his life. Thomas Arnett, 14, from Strensall, has cerebral palsy and has been at the centre of a 25,000 fundraising campaign to pay for the operation, which took place in Bristol on Tuesday. His mother, Adele Sullivan, contacted The Press on the day of the procedure to say consultants were positive about the outcome. Yesterday, family friend Clare Inkster revealed Thomas had managed to move his legs. She said: I spoke to Adele after the operation and the doctor told her the operation had gone perfectly. He is suffering a bit of pain in his back and hes been taken to the high dependency unit (HDU) because his oxygen levels were low, but the consultant has been round and told Adele hes well enough to be moved off the HDU. She said: Adele is doing really well. She told me yesterday she is not stressed and has full trust … Continue reading →

FOUR-YEAR-OLD Shanika Tabart, of Burnie, is always "happy and bubbly'' despite having to battle to do day-to-day things others take for granted. Shanika has Cerebral Palsy. Mother-of-two Jess Tabart said this week her oldest daughter and other Coastal children with disabilities should not have to battle against the health system on top of everything else they deal with. But for almost nine months of Shanika's four years she has not been able to access the state's only paediatric rehabilitation specialist to get the Botox treatment he prescribed for her hip. Mrs Tabart says without it, there is an increased risk of Shanika dislocating her hip. "Shanika is increasingly having problems with her left leg turning in when she is walking, causing her to trip and fall frequently,'' Mrs Tabart said. According to Mrs Tabart, Shanika's condition is most appropriately managed by the only paediatric rehabilitation specialist in Tasmania, Dr Peter Flett, who has had prolonged periods of leave because of illness and long service leave. Mrs Tabart is upset the Department of Health and Human Services knew well in advance of Dr Flett's leave but did not try to back fill the position ahead of time. Southern Tasmania Area Health … Continue reading →

HAWTHORNE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (ACOR) today announced that Jane Wasman, Chief, Strategic Development and General Counsel, will present at the Wells Fargo 2012 Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 2:30 pm ET at the Intercontinental Hotel in Boston, MA. A live audio webcast of the presentation can be accessed under Investor Events in the Investor section of the Acorda website at http://www.acorda.com, or you may use the link: http://cc.talkpoint.com/well001/061912a_hr/?entity=31_1SEFMSO Please log in approximately 5 minutes before the scheduled time of the presentation to ensure a timely connection. An archived version of the webcast will be available until July 19, 2012 on the Investors section of http://www.acorda.com. About Acorda Therapeutics Acorda Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies that restore function and improve the lives of people with MS, spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. Acorda markets AMPYRA (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets, 10 mg, in the United States as a treatment to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). This was demonstrated by an improvement in walking speed. AMPYRA is marketed outside the United States as FAMPYRA (prolonged-release fampridine tablets) by Biogen Idec under a licensing agreement from Acorda. AMPYRA and FAMPYRA are … Continue reading →

2012-06-04 22:46 Johannesburg - The Gauteng health department has paid R11.6m to the family of an 8-year-old boy who suffered cerebral palsy after treatment at the Far East Rand Hospital, it said on Monday. The full amount was transferred to the account of Ntokozo Skhosana's lawyer on Monday said spokesperson Simon Zwane. He said the department was ordered to make the payment by the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. "The department is doing everything it can to ensure that other children born and treated in our hospitals are not injured or harmed through the negligence of our staff," said Zwane He said the department had approved the appointment of seven doctors at the hospital to increase the availability of health professionals and to reduce the type of incidents that resulted in Skhosana's injury. "The hospital is also required to hold regular meetings to determine how many children were born, find out if there were injuries or deaths, establish the causes of injuries or deaths and put in place preventative measures," said Zwane. - SAPA Read more: Gauteng health settles R11m claim … Continue reading →

Care home responds to concerns 4:00pm Sunday 3rd June 2012 in News By Helen Morton A WATCHDOG has raised concerns about staffing levels at a Basingstoke home for adults with cerebral palsy. As a result of an inspection in March, the Care Quality Commission concluded in a report, published this month, that there were not sufficient numbers of qualified and experienced people employed to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of people at all times at Roman House. Prior to their visit to the Winklebury Way care home, the inspection team had been made aware of concerns around staffing during the night, and further concerns were raised with the CQC team during their inspections on March 15 and March 22. The report said: People we spoke to told us that they thought the staff were rushed at times. One person told us that when they asked for support to go out, they were told by staff sorry we cant because we are short. The report also raised concerns about long hours worked by staff, stating: We were able to see that shifts were made up of a large proportion of bank staff or staff doing overtime. This has led to … Continue reading →

It may just look like a can of tuna, but for a teen with one of the most common congenital disorders, it's making a world of a difference. Now there is a new device that could bring big relief to millions living in constant pain. Kim Taylor calls her son Matthew the real life Forrest Gump. Matthew's Mother Kim Taylor explains how much he loves to run. "He will just run and run and run. We have to make him stop." It's something she thought she'd never see the teen do. Kim says, "He was 15 months when he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy we were told he'd probably never walk unassisted." Matthew has had three major surgeries, wore leg braces and received Botox injections to reduce spasticity, painful and uncontrollable muscle spasms and tightness millions with CP suffer. But he eventually developed a tolerance to Botox. That's when doctors had him try something new. Assistant Professor and Program Director for Pediatric Rehabilitation at University of Florida, Jacksonville Louise Spierre, MD, explains the new device, "What the baclofen pump does is help relax muscles that are pulling things out of their natural position." Implanted under the skin it continuously shoots … Continue reading →

Published Sunday, May 6, 2012, 8:19 AM Updated Sunday, May 6, 2012, 8:19 AM Budapest, Hungary Photo by Google Images In the hotel where I lodged while in Hungary recently, there were quite a number of families also staying there who had children affected mostly from the devastating illness cerebral palsy. The striking thing was that they were of all nationalities, and not just European. They were there from the US, South America, and Asia. Hungary, despite all its problems associated with poverty as it struggles to adjust to a new situation within the EU, are to the fore in the field of therapy associated with children afflicted with the ailment. The Peto Institute in Budapest, famed for its success in alleviating the symptoms and indeed greatly improving the lives of children with the condition, was near our hotel, and it was to there these families were either revisiting, or going there for first assessment. An American father, there with his wheelchair-bound eight-year-old little boy, told me: "This is my third trip to Hungary with Alan, and the improvement in him has been miraculous in a little over two years.There is a great understanding over here about his condition. For … Continue reading →