TheraSuit may help Saskatchewan children with spina bifida, cerebral palsy
The TheraSuit is already being used in B.C. and Toronto
A wellness centre in Regina is hoping to raise enough money to buy a new technology to help children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, called the TheraSuit.
The First Steps Wellness Centre in Regina helps a lot of people with spinal cord injuries. But when a family from Swift Current came to them for help with their young daughter, they realized they needed to expand their services to be able to help children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy.
Madison Lawrence, 4, has spina bifida. She has no sensation in her inner feet and needs braces to support her.
"Sometimes she will complain about pain in her hips or different things, but not generally," said her mother, Meaghan Lawrence.
Lawrence began to research the best ways to help her daughter, who was diagnosed after birth. She approached First Steps Wellness about possible options.
The TheraSuit is a program developed by two physiotherapists who have a daughter with cerbral palsy. It helps align the child's body in a proper load-barring stance, as opposed to their bums sticking out. The child learns basic movement patterns.
"Something does have to be done, said Ericka Brown, an exercise therapist at First Steps Wellness. "There isn't a ton of concrete options for children with cerebral palsy or spina bifida."
According to Brown, the TheraSuit is already being used in B.C. and Toronto. She is hoping that winning $50,000 from the Affinity Credit Union Business for Good Social Venture will mean First Steps Wellness has its own to help children.
"There is a lot of research on it and the whole program has been reported to achieve functional gains much quicker than traditional rehabilitation," Brown said.