For years, parents have disparaged video games for not encouraging physical activity. New systems and advancements, like the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 Kinect, integrate the player’s physical movements into the gameplay. A recent study conducted at the University of Toronto suggests that active video games (AVGs) have development benefits for children with cerebral palsy. “[AVGs] provide a low-cost, commercially available system that can be strategically selected to address specific therapeutic goals,” said Elaine Biddiss, lead investigator of the study. “While our results did not show that AVG game play can be regarded as a replacement for more vigorous physical activity or muscle strengthening, we found that some games may provide targeted therapy focused on specific joints or movements.” Researchers studied 17 children with cerebral palsy as they played games like Wii Bowling, Wii Tennis, Wii Boxing and Dance Dance Revolution. Games like Wii Boxing helped children engage both arms…
Read More »
Birth Injury and Cerebral Palsy Attorneys
Video Games May Help Children with Cerebral Palsy
May 18th, 2012Maine Settles CP Lawsuit
May 14th, 2012Three men with cerebral palsy sued the state of Maine for a lack of independence. The three men – Jacob Van Meter, Adam Fletcher and Eric Reeves – are all in their 20s and 30s. They were confined to living in nursing homes against their wishes, and they insisted that they were fully capable of living independent lives. They represented 121 people in a class action lawsuit that included people with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and other conditions that might require nursing home care. Specifically, the lawsuit claimed that the state violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Nursing Home Reform Act by not providing services that would integrate the men into their communities. The lawsuit was filed in 2009 and certified as a class action in 2011. The plaintiffs are content with the terms of the settlement. Over the next five years, the Department of Health and Human Services…
Read More »
Medical Device Delays Birth, Could Prevent Birth Traumas
May 9th, 2012A recently published study indicates that medical devices called pessaries could prevent premature birth, which puts babies at a higher risk of developing conditions like cerebral palsy. Doctors studied 385 pregnant women with short cervixes at five Spanish hospitals. Statistically, women with short cervixes are more likely to go into early labor. Nearly half (192) of the women were treated with the cervical pessary. Overall, fewer women in the pessary group went into premature labor than did women in the non-pessary group (12 in the former, 52 in the latter). Percentagewise, six percent of the pessary group went into early labor, compared to 26 percent of the non-pessary group. The babies born in the non-pessary group had higher rates of low birth weight and respiratory distress syndrome. Some women in the pessary group indicated that the device was painful. On average, the insertion of the device was a four and…
Read More »
New Drug Could Improve Cerebral Palsy Motor Skills
May 4th, 2012A new drug tested on rabbits, administered after birth, could lead to increased motor function for humans with cerebral palsy if further testing yields positive results. The drug, tested by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in Detroit, was successful in improving motor skills for rabbits born with cerebral palsy-like symptoms. Until now, most preventative measures against cerebral palsy only worked while the mother was in utero. Dr. Sujatha Kannan, a study researcher with NICHD, said that these new findings could indicate “a window of opportunity for treatment, even after birth.” The researchers gave the new drug to one-year-old rabbits with limited muscle movement. Five days later, the rabbits were nearly as mobile as healthy rabbits. Rabbits with similar conditions were given placebos, and their movements did not improve. Much is still unknown about the drug. The effects may not be…
Read More »