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For children diagnosed with cerebral palsy after a birth injury, treatments and therapies are often key to managing symptoms. With early intervention, therapy may help assist children with improving motor skills, strength, and balance as their bodies grow.

Several types of therapies exist to achieve these goals. Hippotherapy, a type of physical therapy where the patient rides horses, has helped many patients with cerebral palsy. A new study has found that mechanical horse-riding simulation therapy benefits children with the condition. The simulators mimic the motion of riding a horse, which is helpful when horses are not accessible. Researchers analyzed data from 12 studies, and found that “that horse-riding simulator therapy is effective in improving overall gross motor function and sitting ability, functional balance and hip abduction range of motion in children with cerebral palsy.”

According to a new report published in December 2022, the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee estimates that as many as 90% of Texan maternal deaths in 2019 may have been preventable.

A new rehabilitation program has launched to help children with disabilities, such as cerebral palsy. The Zero-G Gait and Balance Training System is described as a robotic gait trainer. The trainer is a weight support system based on percentage—so a certain amount of a patients’ weight is supported by the robot. Patients strap into a harness which holds them up while a robot monitors and assists the child’s movement.

The CDC’s September 2022 report detailing that more than four in five U.S. pregnancy-related deaths could have been prevented revealed the shocking reality about maternal mortality. Moreover, recent data out of Stanford University shows that Black mothers, compared to other races, are at greater risk of dying after birth. Risk for Black maternal death applies to all income levels—suggesting that the reasons behind maternal death may be more than economic. Policymakers are seeking ways to prevent such tragedies across the U.S.

A new study suggests that after experiencing a stroke, an infant’s brain can counteract and adapt to the damage the brain sustained. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), notes that after suffering a stroke on the left side of the brain, children were able to learn language using the right hemisphere of the brain.

Medtech company SpineX recently published a study in Nature Communications supporting a non-surgical treatment for children with cerebral palsy. The treatment, known as SCiP (spinal cord innovation in pediatrics), combines spinal nerve stimulation with an activity-based rehab program. The study found that using SCiP during physical therapy treatments improved sensorimotor function in all 16 participating in the study. Study participants included a wide age-range of children with differing severities of cerebral palsy. Future trials are to be conducted with the goal of obtaining FDA clearance for SCiP treatment of cerebral palsy.

Learning that your baby has been injured at birth can be devastating news. You might feel scared, angry, confused, or unsure of what to do. All of these emotions are normal. Contacting a birth injury attorney may be the next step in finding out what happened to your baby—and seeking justice for him or her. Below, we outline some important things to consider when looking for a birth injury attorney.

For many years, maternal death has been a devastatingly prevalent problem in the U.S. Studies also show that maternal mortality rates in the southern parts of the country are grave, including in Georgia.

Children born with brain injuries may develop cerebral palsy - a disorder that affects a person’s ability to control movement and posture. Cerebral palsy often impacts a child’s development, such as meeting certain milestones, like sitting, crawling, and walking. Certain therapies may help manage the symptoms associated with the condition.

Some of these therapies involve new technology to assist kids with waking. In Arizona, a new robotic device is helping children with cerebral palsy learn to walk. The AreTech ZeroG Gait and Balance System is an assistive device that hangs from the ceiling, attached to a track. Patients strap into a harness, controlled by a robotic box. The device supports the patient’s weight and protects from falling while the patient practices crawling, walking, or other motor skills.

Another device that will be made available to people with cerebral palsy (as well as those who have had a stroke or have multiple sclerosis) next year is the Neural Sleeve. The device is a bionic leg wrap that uses artificial intelligence and electrodes to direct the user’s gait. It is like a remote control for the patient’s leg, which corrects walking patters to help the brain relearn how to move the legs in sync.