Chandler Tripp MTU
780 Thornton Ave
San Jose CA
New Course from Beverly Cusick PT, MS, C/NDT, COF & Susan Hastings PT, DPT, PCS!
In children born premature and those with diplegic cerebral palsy (CP), findings obtained with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have brought significant challenges to the common definition of CP as “a motor disorder caused by a static lesion to the upper motor neurons resulting in spasticity”.
Beverly Cusick, PT, MS, NDT, COF, discusses findings by researchers that question the definition and challenge the common notion that spasticity is present and that it causes contracture formation and gait pathology in children with diplegia. She discusses the confusion over the difference between increased tone and hyperreflexia and introduces some new thinking regarding EMG activity in tissues under stretch. She concludes by proposing an alternative to “spasticity reducing” interventions by addressing postural control deficits and remediation.
Susan Hastings, PT, DPT, PCS, discusses requirements for motor learning to occur, and introduces functional electrical stimulation (FES) and whole body vibration (WBV) as treatment-augmenting interventions along with supporting research.
This one-day course is a pre-requisite for either of the two follow-up lab sessions:
- Functional Electrical Stimulation for the Child with Cerebral Palsy (Hastings)
- Bringing Orthopedic Assessment Findings to Management Planning (Cusick)