Training with a robotic device may help some kids with cerebral palsy gain strength and improve both posture and walking abilities, researchers say. A small study suggests that a robotic system known as the Tethered Pelvic Assist Device could help those with crouch gait, a condition affecting a subset of individuals with cerebral palsy thats marked by excessive bending of the hips, knees or ankles. After participating in 15 training sessions with the system, six children studied showed improvement in posture and muscle coordination as well as walking features like step length, toe clearance, range of motion and heel-to-toe pattern, according to findings published this week in the journal Science Robotics. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below For the study, the kids participated in 16-minute training sessions over the course of six weeks. They were evaluated at the beginning and end of the study period. The children wore the robotic device a pelvic belt attached to several wires while walking on a treadmill. Tension on the wires was adjusted in real time based on data captured by cameras. The device applied downward force similar to what a typical child experiences carrying a backpack in order to retrain certain leg muscles. Currently, … Continue reading →

Quiet on the tee. That is what Calgarys Kyle Miller will achieve when he cracks his opening drive next Thursdayat the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canadas ATB Financial Classic at Country Hills. Quiet from the doubters. Quiet from anybody who ever wondered if he was dreaming a little too lofty for a golf-crazed kid with a physical disability. Now 26, Miller will make history next week in his hometown tournament as the first athlete with cerebral palsy a disorder that affects movement, motor skills and posture to compete in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. Its all Ive ever thought about, Miller said. People would look at me with sympathy that I had big dreams and big aspirations. They thought it was just a big pipe-dream. I thank the haters just as much as the supporters because those are the ones that kept me going to prove them wrong. They just bred history being made thats essentially how Ill look at it. And I hope theyll think twice before they tell somebody want they will or wont do again, because they were wrong with me. A PGA of Canada-certified instructor at GolfTEC Calgary Midnapore, Miller is on the list of sponsor exemptions for … Continue reading →

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, July 26, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- A robotic training device helped improve the walking ability of children with cerebral palsy who suffer from a condition known as "crouch gait," a small study found. The device provided strength training for muscles that were too weak to support fully upright posture, explained senior researcher Sunil Agrawal. He is a professor of rehabilitation and regenerative medicine and mechanical engineering at the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. "Children improved their posture, their walking speed, their balance, as well as the symmetry of their walking, through this approach," Agrawal said. Crouch gait is an abnormality caused by a type of cerebral palsy called spastic diplegia. In spastic diplegia, stiff muscles in both legs hamper the normal give-and-take of walking, preventing a normal stride. Human movement relies on two sets of muscles: flexor muscles that pull, and extensor muscles that push. For example, bending your knee requires flexor muscles, while straightening your leg back out requires extensor muscles. Children with crouch gait are always flexed, Agrawal said, with their hips, knees and ankles unable to move back and forth because the flexor muscles of those joints are … Continue reading →

A STUDENT with cerebral palsy, who conquered a Munro last year for charity, is getting ready to do it all over again. James Fontana will lace up his walking boots at the beginning of September as he attempts to reach the top of Ben Lawers, near Pitlochry. The 19-year-old described reaching the top of of Carn An Tuirc last year as the most difficult thing Ive ever done. Now he is set to do it again in a bid to raise a four-figure sum for a worthwhile cause. James, of East Saltoun, is no stranger to taking on charity fundraisers. Two years ago, he took on a swimathon for Marie Curie and swam 1,500 metres. Then, last year, he climbed a munro and also completed the Moonwalk half marathon. On the Munro challenge, James said: At the start I thought this is fine but when you get to the top and it is all rocky that was really difficult. I was trying to keep my footing and it was definitely a lot harder than the Moonwalk. That takes place in Edinburgh and the terrain is not too difficult. Im quite good at swimming so that was not too difficult the … Continue reading →