Inside Pediatrics Summer 2019

R + R: ROBOTICS + REHABILITATION

Children’s of Alabama’s Robotics and Mobility Program offers technology-assisted therapies for children and teens with physical impairment due to various medical conditions

A t age 17, Raylan Winston of in a traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. The former high school football player has since applied the “never give up” mindset that served him well on the gridiron to his physical and occupational therapy rehabilitation at Children’s of Alabama. Winston, now 19, is part of Children’s Robotics and Mobility Program (RAMP), which is designed to help increase strength, mobility and functional skills in children and adolescents with physical impairment. RAMP’s technology-assisted therapies allow patients to practice movements and activities that they may otherwise be unable to perform. Winston leaves the confines of his wheelchair to walk in the Ekso Robotic Exoskeleton. The exoskeleton, or wearable robot, uses motors and sensors that help a child or adolescent to walk with an efficient, repetitive gait pattern, helping the body re-learn proper step pattern and weight shifts. Sheffield, Alabama, was involved in a car accident that resulted

is only the second pediatric program in the Southeast to offer the exoskeleton and other advanced technologies for rehabilitation use. “Research has shown that the brain accepts and tries to relearn how to use a hand, an arm or a leg with frequent repetitive motion, and with the [exoskeleton], we are seeing faster and more positive results in re-educating a child’s whole motor pathway to walk,” said RAMP Coordinator Karen McCormack, OTR/L, CHT, MBA. Ideal candidates for the exoskeleton are children who have some upper and lower body strength and/or have been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury or cerebral palsy. “Not everyone is appropriate for this technology, however, it has opened up a host of new opportunities for therapists and patients alike in the rehabilitation of our patients,” said Rhett Wheeler, PT, DPT, director of operations for Children’s Physical and Occupational Therapy Department. “Our patients and staff remain forever grateful for the generous support of community donors. They are

The exoskeleton can provide therapists with immediate feedback from each step the patient takes, measuring the robot’s effort versus the patient’s. During one Tuesday morning appointment, Winston’s face beamed with pride as his therapists informed him he was doing most of the work on his own while in the exoskeleton. Every step he takes is a step toward his future. Like the most attuned athletes, he listens to his body. He has regained some feeling in his legs and hips, and notes his right leg is stronger than his left. He concentrates on his posture as he walks laps around the rehabilitation gym, keeping his head lifted and hips tucked. “I couldn’t always feel my legs like I can now. It gives me a lot of hope and a lot more motivation,” Winston said. “Some days you’re down and you think you’ll never make it, but seeing the exoskeleton and feeling the movement … It makes me want to work harder.” RAMP, made possible by generous community and organizational support,

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