Cerebral palsy is one of the most common disabilities affecting children. It is a group of permanent conditions and symptoms that affect movement, posture, overall mobility, gross motor skills, manual ability, vision, speech and muscle tone. Movement disorders such as this are often accompanied by disturbances in sensation, cognition, communication or behavior. Some statistics about…
The patient At age 10, the patient was diagnosed with a high-grade arteriovenous malformation and treated with radiosurgery. About six months later, the patient developed a severe case of brain swelling that left them with a right-sided spastic hemiparesis. A baclofen pump was placed in the normal abdominal/spinal position — to great effect. The challenge…
Precisely placed phenol injections can relieve spasticity by inducing axon necrosis, essentially destroying the nerve causing the spasticity. As a focal treatment, the phenol needs to be injected at the motor points of the right muscles. Targeting only the motor neve is very important, otherwise the patient could have sensory issues from the denaturation, according…
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a group of connective tissue disorders affecting every organ system. The 2017 classification of the syndrome includes 13 subtypes of the condition, though more forms may exist and are rare and not well characterized. The subtypes vary in severity, from slightly loose joints to life-threatening complications. Norton Children’s Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Clinic…
Assessing a child for cerebral palsy treatment and therapy starts with understanding the etiology, which parts of the body are affected and identifying the predominant movement pattern, according to Catherine P. Schuster, M.D., medical director of Norton Children’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. “The underlying cause of cerebral palsy…
Children in Western Kentucky with spasticity related to cerebral palsy; brain or spinal cord injuries; or stroke or other ongoing functional mobility deficits can now have their rehabilitation needs addressed closer to home. On the fourth Friday every other month, Katy M. Breeden, APRN, is in Paducah, Kentucky, to manage patients’ bracing, therapies and medication…
A new multidisciplinary cerebral palsy clinic for children who need a higher level of care has opened in the Novak Center for Children’s Health in downtown Louisville. The clinic aims to streamline care, make appointments easier for families and improve outcomes. “Multidisciplinary clinics allow one patient to be seen by multiple doctors instead of the…