Robotic physical therapy developed by MIT researchers for stroke victims is now being offered to children with Cerebral Palsy.
Robotic therapy sessions involve a video-game like set-up where the patient is presented with a task, such as “grabbing” a ball and moving it across the screen. If the patient starts to move their arm in the wrong way, or does not move it at all, the robot will gently nudge his or her arm in the correct direction. A robot to teach walking works in essentially the same manner.
The robotic therapy has been shown to significantly increase functionality in adult stroke patients. Robotic therapy helps rebuild brain connections by linking a patient’s conscious effort to make a movement with that movement being realized. Researchers look forward to an even better response to this therapy in children than in adults since children’s brains are much more plastic than adult brains.
So far, it seems to be working. After a dozen sessions or so, children are able to move from a walker to crutches, or from crutches to walking independently. Hopefully this research will continue to find ways to improve the lives of children suffering from this horrible disease.
