Inside Pediatrics Summer 2019

the very reason we have been able to acquire and make this type of advanced technology available to help our patients.” Drew Davis, M.D., FAAPMR, FAAP, professor and division director of pediatric rehabilitation medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), said RAMP is the latest piece in a “comprehensive and unique” pathway of care. “RAMP fits into the larger continuum of rehabilitation care that we provide, starting with Early Mobility in the PICU, intensive inpatient rehabilitation and the comprehensive outpatient therapy services Children’s has always provided, and we were recently enhanced with Children’s at Lakeshore advancing community level sports and fitness,” Davis said. Other technologies that are part of RAMP include cutting- edge Tyromotion, which helps patients like 20-year-old Alex Cook of Mt. Olive, Alabama, build strength in their hands, fingers and arms. Diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Cook was deemed an ideal candidate for RAMP after experiencing muscle atrophy related to his treatment. Standing before the Tyromotion PABLO system, Cook

looks like he’s playing a video game, not engaged in advanced therapy. The system includes a hand grip for rehabilitating grip and arm movement, a ball for rotational movement, and a multi- board with hand grips and elbow rests balanced over a sphere. Everything communicates wirelessly to a computer. Cook’s therapy plan includes the exoskeleton and the Bioness Vector – a harness training system that provides body weight support while practicing kneeling, crawling, standing, walking or stair climbing. The Vector alleviates the risk of falling and provides a feeling of security, instilling confidence in patients and empowering clinicians to develop effective and challenging treatment regimens. The Vector also reduces safety risks, so clinicians can remain focused on their patient’s execution of an activity. “It has helped him tremendously, as now he longer even needs a walker and can walk on his own,” said Michael Lowe, Cook’s stepfather. RAMP has also proven beneficial for 19-year-old Janey Carter of Jasper, Alabama, who was left paralyzed from the neck down

Alex Cook, 20, of Mt. Olive, completes an activity on the Tyrostation as Children’s of Alabama Occupational Therapist Cynthia Reitz Looks on. The Tyrostation, part of Children’s Robotics and Mobility Program, helps Cook and other patients build strength in their hands, fingers and arms.

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