This is especially important to me because I had a massive double stroke in September 2020, and I think this is a good time to share my story in the hope that it will be interesting at the least and raise awareness. I will be so pleased if I can help even one of you who is reading this. Cast your mind back to September 2020. The pandemic was in full swing. We were all working from home and weren’t allowed to leave our houses much. Early that month, there was a brief lifting of the lockdown restrictions. I only...
I have spastic cerebral palsy – can functional electrical stimulation really improve my gait? Cerebral Palsy (CP) affects approximately 30,00 children in the UK, and is the single largest cause of childhood physical disability in the developed world[1]. A number of Birkdale clients live with CP, especially the most common form: spastic cerebral palsy, which can increase muscle stiffness to the point of paralysis. To treat CP, our neuro physiotherapists use a range of techniques including neuro developmental treatment, sensory stimulation and functional electrical stimulation (FES). Functional electrical stimulation has been shown to be effective by a study published by...
Lee’s parents contacted us at Birkdale Neuro Rehab Centre about their 15 month old baby boy, Lee. They reported that Lee ignored his left arm and did not like it touched. As usual we arranged for an assessment to investigate and start a course of Neuro physiotherapy treatment. This is Lee’s story. In the neuro physiotherapy assessment of baby Lee, I first wanted to see how Lee responded to the toys and sounds while listening to the music and either lying or sitting on the sensory air cushion. I always assess the sensory modalities: vision, auditory, smell, touch and vibration...
As a paediatric neuro physio in London I have always enjoyed working with children. Physio treatment for children should be fun and engaging. I also thoroughly enjoy the games, the paintings and all the activities that we conjure up together. I am always learning from my little pupils. Children are amazing teachers. One of my patients, a little girl showed me that if you really want to achieve something you have to work at it, and she does. She arrived at my practice being incapable of lying, sitting or standing nor could she balance or track with her eyes from...
