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The term “cerebral palsy” is not a specific diagnosis, but is generally applied to children who experience some form of brain trauma either at the time of birth or shortly before. Typically, these children manifest some degree of cognitive and physical impairment, often with weakness and spasticity of the limbs. Treatment therapies for children with cerebral palsy are usually directed at the physical manifestations of the underlying problem. Most efforts strive to increase range of motion, reduce spasticity, and increase strength, as well as specific therapies designed to enhance communication skills and academic performance.
Evidence from around the world shows strong support for the use of HBOT to address the underlying problem in children with cerebral palsy – a technique that targets the abnormalities and brain function. The effectiveness of HBOT in children with cerebral palsy is most likely a manifestation of the enhanced function of previously damaged neurons. These neurons, called “idling neurons,” are still alive, but have been damaged to the extent that their function is compromised. Canadian researchers have been vigorously exploring the use of HBOT in cerebral palsy. Dr. Pierre Marois and his team of researchers at McGill University in Montreal have recently studied twenty-five children with cerebral palsy, aged 4 to 7 years, treated with HBOT. According to Dr. Marois, ". . . the results are really incredible! Twenty-three of the twenty-five children have great results. Twenty-three have amelioration with their spasticity and may have amelioration with speech and cognitive function." Further on, their published results reveal, "the clinical observations do list numerous functional changes, definite improvements, [and] a large amount [of improvements] in the level of arousal/response to communication. From statistical analysis of the objective estimations we confirm this change, more particularly on the level of motor functioning, like walking and the quality of sitting position, similarly on the level of spasticity." This is the first study objectively documenting the prospects of the beneficial effects of HBOT in the treatment of children suffering from cerebral palsy.
While it is important to recognize that HBOT seems to represent an important tool in the treatment of children with cerebral palsy, it should be viewed as an adjunctive form of therapy to be used in conjunction with other established treatment protocols including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, as well as pharmaceutical therapy designed to reduce spasticity. The use of HBOT in children with cerebral palsy is now gaining a strong foothold in the United States and because of its profound effectiveness, will likely become more widespread. Public awareness of HBOT for children with cerebral palsy in North America can be credited in large part to Mothers United for Moral Support (MUMS). This worldwide organization, founded by Julie Gordon, a mother of a child with cerebral palsy, seeks to unite parents of children with cerebral palsy and other special needs and to share information concerning various therapeutic options. They can be contacted by telephone at 920-336-5333. E-mail can be directed to the MUMS National Parent-to-Parent network by contacting MUMs@netnet.net.
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