Many of our friends would say that our daughter
Kaya is lucky. She was born at 28 weeks to a family where both parents
are physical therapists. We started the earliest therapeutic
intervention you can ever imagine. As soon as Kaya became medically
stable, we initiated different therapeutic techniques.
We continued our intensive approach of her treatment. We started with the Vojta Method, Bobath,
Doman-Delacato, PNF, Conductive Education as well as aquatic therapy,
Hippotherapy, and daily massage. At age 6 Kaya was in a wheelchair and
would use her K-walker for short distances. Nothing seemed to be
bringing Kaya closer to independence.
Then one day, we traveled to Europe to try therapy
that utilized an older version of the "space suit". At the end
of the first session, Kaya took her first steps. That was a turning
point in our life. Since that "space suit" was not available for sale
and it was extremely cumbersome to use we decided to work on our own
improved and modified version. That was the missing piece in the
puzzle of our
therapy.
In 2001, we designed and patented the TheraSuit.
It was the first suit available in the United States to rehabilitate neurological
and sensory disorders. The TheraSuit is a soft dynamic proprioceptive
orthotic. It is FDA registered and currently utilized in over 33
different clinics and hospitals in the United States (including
Easter Seals, United Cerebral Palsy and Children’s hospitals). TheraSuit
is used to treat patients diagnosed with cerebral palsy, hemiplegia,
stroke, developmental delays, ataxia, athetosis, traumatic brain
injuries and many other neurological disorders. It is a tremendous
help to patients suffering from sensory disintegration problems and
autism.
Through the system of elastic rubber bands, a
patient’s body is aligned to as close to normal as possible. This
restoration of
posture and proper function of postural muscles allows the patient to
learn (or relearn) proper patterns of movement. The patient’s body is
loaded with a very specific and unique pressure that restores deep proprioception from joints, ligaments and muscles. The TheraSuit
provides external stabilization to the trunk and therefore allows more
fluent and coordinated movement for both upper and lower extremities.
Fine and gross motor skills improve in 94% of
patients. Speech productivity and fluency is noted in 64%. However, the major
improvement occurs in the vestibular system.
The vestibular system, through the position of the
body, records space and analyzes the muscle tone necessary to execute
the movement. Since patients with neurological disorders display
a tremendous imbalance between the front and back trunk muscles,
compensatory processes take place. This means that additional
muscles would be used that normally would not be active in the
particular movement or position. It is very common to observe CP
children relaxed when lying down but when put upright everything from
toe to head tenses in order to maintain the upright position. The upper
extremities attain a typical, but pathological position. As a consequence,
the weak trunk follows into an extension pattern. This is a chain
reaction where lower extremities would usually compensate with a plantar
flexion fixed position.
Standing on the toes does not allow for proper weight bearing on the
heels. In addition, it will increase the muscle tone in the calf
muscles. Also, when standing on the toes with the upper extremities
abducted, and flexed, the entire body tilts forward
displacing the center of gravity forward. This is the reason why it
would be so difficult to maintain adequate balance and weight shifting.
If you try to attain this typical position,
please, pay attention to the following muscle groups:
1. Trunk muscles (usually elongated,
overstretched abdominal muscles, extremely tight trunk extensors)
2. Gluteal muscles (almost completely inactive, overstretched and
weak)
3. Quadricep muscles (in young children very straight knees
with tight
quadriceps; in older children
overstretched, weakened with additional
knee crouch and flexion)
4. Calf muscles (very tight, heel off the floor)
Not only it is extremely difficult to be upright in
this pathological position, but it also requires tremendous energy. Studies
shows that a CP person would use 3 times more energy performing the same
activity as a non affected peer. (1) Therefore fatigue and lack of
endurance is very common.
When the TheraSuit is applied, very specific
and precise placement of the elastic bands moves the entire body back on
the heels and into, a more vertical position. Center of gravity moves back
in between the feet. Very noticeable changes in muscle tone take place.
A more relaxed and upright posture with corrected alignment of lower and
upper extremities is noted immediately. This is how the TheraSuit normalizes
muscle tone through the postural changes. Patients with ataxia and
athetosis benefit from the use of the TheraSuit through the stabilizing
effect to the trunk. They require more hours of use, but benefit from it
the most.
TheraSuit applies very specific pressure to
the body. As Desmond Morris stresses in his book, the nervous system is
exposed to pressure from the second week of gestation (2). This
unique pressure allows the nervous system to develop properly.
Premature and neurologically damaged babies are drastically deprived
of that crucial input. When a healthy baby is born and starts crying
we swaddle the baby in a blanket. Because of medical reasons, we cannot restore and
provide pressure and touch to the premature or brain injured babies for
weeks and sometimes months. As it ihas been proven through endless research,
touch and pressure are vital for survival. Ben E. Benjamin and Ruth
Werner in their article entitled "The Primacy Of Human Touch"
describe the necessity of those two elements in our life (3). TheraSuit
restores nervous system function by providing both tactile
stimulation and pressure all over the body. This is also why it
helps so much
with sensory integration problems.
What makes the
TheraSuit unique is its ability to provide the
dynamic correction. What this means is that it allows the error to occur
but the same time facilitates the correct position or movement. We can
learn based only on our own experience. You will not be able to learn
how to roller blade from the written description of the movement. You
have to put the roller blades on and fall several times before you will
learn how to stand up in them. The same would apply to a hot stove. Your
own mother would tell you not to touch it, but unless you experience and
learn what hot stove means you will not avoid touching it. With any
neurological disorder lack of mobility will lead
to limited personal experience and learning as well as delayed or
disturbed sensory integration.
TheraSuit is not performing the movement for the wearer. It only guides and assists them. Meanwhile, all
the above mentioned benefits would take place.
Usually at the beginning the TheraSuit is used as a
support system for the weak muscles. As the patient progresses, the
bands are tightened up and provide resistance, which leads to
strength gains (4).
Through the loading effects of the elastic bands the skeletal system
is loaded with mechanical force. It is very well documented that the
proper ossification, calcification and strength of the bone is possible
only through the mechanical forces acting on the bones. Since
mobility is so drastically limited, early weight bearing and therefore
strengthening of the bones is impaired. Bone demineralization (including
hip, calcaneus bone and spine) is very common (5, 6, 7).
Case studies show that use of the TheraSuit improves
the density (strength) of the bone, as well as helping to diminish the subluxation in the hip joint.
TheraSuit is a part of the TheraSuit Method,
an intensive physical training (therapy). When a comparison was made
between two groups, one participating in the TheraSuit Method with the
use of the TheraSuit, and the other group participating only in the TheraSuit Method without the use of the TheraSuit, it was observed that
children using the TheraSuit achieved faster and higher functional gains. In
plain English, the TheraSuit accelerated functional progress. Children
undergoing intensive therapy with the use of the TheraSuit achieved
better results in a shorter amount of time.
TheraSuit’s effectiveness is proven through the
dramatic progress of hundreds of children and adults. Several clinics
using TheraSuit serve as ongoing research centers to evaluate and
document the benefits of the TheraSuit. The TheraSuit and the TheraSuit
Method have become standard methods of treatment for neurological and
sensory disorders.
Training and certification in the TheraSuit and the
TheraSuit Method is available for physical therapists, occupational
therapists, speech and language pathologists, and nurses at the Michigan
treatment/education center as well as on site.Parents can obtain
training through the facilities certified in the TheraSuit Method, as
well as the Michigan Model Center.