Physical Therapy
Physical therapy at Shriners Children's helps children build confidence and strength, focusing on what is important to them and what they love to do in their daily lives.
Spasticity
Shriners Children's knows that patients with spasticity need a wide range of care and services in order to thrive.
As a world-renowned leader in providing specialized pediatric medical care, we utilize the latest clinical and scientific research in our comprehensive approach to treatment. Designed with convenience in mind for patients and their families, Shriners Children’s offers a full range of services and resources for spasticity care under one roof so children can receive treatment from all necessary providers in one building.
Spasticity is abnormal muscle stiffness, making it difficult for a child to perform coordinated movements. Spastic muscles are tense and resist movement, and children with this condition often have problems with their reflexes and coordination. Spasticity can interfere with a child’s range of motion and limit their variety of movement patterns.
Children with the following conditions may show spasticity as a symptom:
- Cerebral palsy
- Spinal cord injury
- Brain injury
- Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP)
A child’s mobility and quality of life can be improved through the coordination of a comprehensive care plan. Receiving care at Shriners Children’s provides families with treatment options to reduce the child’s tone which improves function, increases ease of care and aims to prevent future orthopedic conditions from developing.
Innovative Treatments for Spasticity
Children with spasticity can thrive when the condition is managed well with appropriate treatments. However, there is no cure for spasticity and it cannot be prevented. Your child’s medical team could include orthopedists, nurses, orthotists, physical, occupational and speech therapists, social workers, child life specialists, and others who work together to develop a customized care plan for each child with spasticity.
Our treatments are driven by evidence-based research and years of experience. Treatments can include:
- Tone management: We provide tone management, a comprehensive nonsurgical approach to decrease spasticity with a goal of improving function and mobility. Treatment plans developed for each child are customized for their exact needs. Examples of these plans of care can include tone reducing medications (Baclofen or Botulinum toxin A), orthopedic surgery, stretch casting, bracing, and physical and occupational therapies.
- Orthotics: Orthotics are designed to support alignment of the upper and lower extremities. They can also help with stability while walking.
- Rehabilitation services: This may include occupational and physical therapy, aqua therapy, speech-language pathology, locomotion/walking therapy using a robotic-assisted treadmill (Lokomat), upper extremity robotic training (ARMEO) and electrical stimulation.
- Assistive device evaluations: Our trained team of physical therapists and providers work together to recommend and prescribe equipment such as crutches, walkers and specialty wheelchairs to aid in mobility.
- Orthopedic surgery: Internationally recognized orthopedic surgeons at Shriners Children’s provide complex surgical care to ambulatory and nonambulatory children with congenital and acquired conditions. Surgical procedures vary greatly from case to case, but all are aimed at improving function and independence as much as possible.
Support Services for Spasticity
Support services can include:
- Motion analysis: Many of our locations have a motion analysis center designed to evaluate patient movement patterns. Motion analysis is an objective measuring technique that assists the medical team in developing a custom approach to improve the child’s function.
- Pediatric Orthotic Prosthetic Services (POPS): Shriners Children’s Pediatric Orthotics and Prosthetic Services designs, fits and manufactures orthotics and prosthetics for children from infants to young adults.
Each child’s mobility and subsequent quality of life can be improved through the coordination of their comprehensive care at Shriners Children’s.
Locations for Spasticity care
View All Related LocationsShriners Children's provides specialty health care to children around the world. We offer a comprehensive range of treatments, services and support to improve the quality of our patients’ lives and help them reach their full potential.
Motion Analysis Centers
As a child grows and develops, so does their ability to move. When a child has a condition that changes typical development and makes movement difficult, advanced diagnostic techniques may be necessary to fully understand what’s causing the movement problem. Motion analysis can help us understand the movement of children with neuromuscular, acquired or congenital disorders and develop an appropriate plan of care based on what we learn.
Innovative Treatments
View All Related Treatments
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists at Shriners Children's help kids be as independent as possible, focusing on what is important to them and what they love to do in their daily lives.
Speech Therapy
The speech therapy services available to patients at Shriners Children’s benefit children from birth through adolescence who have difficulties with communication and swallowing.
Orthopedic Surgery
With their expertise in treating children from toddlers to teens, the pediatric orthopedic surgeons at Shriners Children’s understand the challenges of planning ahead for growing bones and bodies.
Motion Analysis
The specialists in Shriners Children’s motion analysis centers collect and analyze movement-related data, like gait analysis, to help treat children with neuromuscular, acquired or congenital disorders.
Next Steps
Request an Appointment
Families and caregivers seeking treatment should start by contacting us for an appointment.
Log in to the Patient Portal
Parents and guardians of existing patients can email, request records, schedule appointments and more.
Refer a Patient
Physicians and healthcare providers can request appointments, start transfers or contact us with questions.