Adeli Suit: Russian suit helps cerebral palsy patients to
strengthen muscles
Dec 16, 2005
By The Birmingham News
ANNA VELASCO - News staff writer
"For
a person with cerebral palsy, just sitting up or walking can be an athletic
challenge. Muscles are weak, tight or spastic, making alignment of the body for
proper movement difficult.
Children's Hospital has just bought six suits developed from Russian technology
that help children with cerebral palsy strengthen their muscles and develop
proper movement. Some even learn to walk after intensive therapy with the "Adeli
Suit."
Making Strides, an Alabama charity dedicated to providing intensive therapy to
children with cerebral palsy, gave Children's Hospital $15,000 Thursday to pay
for the suits and for training the past two weeks to teach therapists how to use
them. The gift allowed Children's Hospital to fly over a Russian doctor who
specializes in use of the Adeli Suit.
The charity plans another $20,000 donation to Children's Hospital early next
year to buy more suits, at $2,500 each, and to help equip another therapy site
at Children's South off Interstate 459, in addition to the hospital therapy
department.
Children's started intensive cerebral palsy therapy in 2004 with the help from
an initial $15,000 gift from Making Strides. The hospital has provided the
three-week, four-hour-daily therapy for 20 patients since then. Therapists used
a suit similar to the Adeli and other types of exercises.
"We've seen kids come in not being able to walk and leave being able to," said
Lisa Steed, a physical therapist at Children's. "
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