Two years ago, Cheyne, 13, couldn't walk on his own because of his
battle with cerebral palsy.
But a relatively new form of physical therapy designed to improve
movement and daily activities such as sitting, crawling or walking has
made it possible.
"It helps," Cheyne said as he rested inside Ability Plus
Therapy, a pediatric rehabilitation center owned by his parents, Laura
and Lane Joslin. "I can see the progress that happens during those
three weeks."
Cheyne is referring to intensive suit therapy, a weeks-long program
that uses a Therasuit designed by Michigan therapists Izabela and
Richard Koscielny, also parents of a child with cerebral palsy.
Through a system of elastic bands, a patient's body is properly
aligned. This results in proper posture and better use of muscles.
Patients then learn (or re-learn) to move correctly.
Once patients are fitted in the lightweight, soft suit, which comes
with a vest, pants, knee pads and shoes, there is more coordinated
movement for upper and lower extremities.
The suit, along with use of the Universal Exercise Unit -- a system
of pulleys, straps and weights for exercise -- and intensive training,
has shown to improve patients' skills.
Seeing the results firsthand with Cheyne and brother Matt, 7, who
also has cerebral palsy, the Joslins wanted to help other parents of
children with neuromuscular disorders.
So in May, they opened Ability Plus Therapy in Indian Harbour Beach.
The center specializes in suit therapy, the Universal Exercise Unit and
intensive therapy.
"I've been to two other clinics, and that inspired my mom to
open her own clinic," Cheyne said. "It's great, because this
is going to help a lot of kids achieve small goals."
The Joslins learned of suit therapy about two years ago and traveled
to Michigan and Miami to participate in a similar program called Euro-peds,
modeled after a program in Poland.
The creators of Euro-peds, the Koscielnys, eventually branched off
and created the newer Therasuit.
"When I went to the two different therapy centers, I such
tremendous results in my kids," Laura Joslin said. But because the
therapy generally takes two to three weeks, families have to stay near
the clinic for that long.
For example, the Euro-peds treatment Cheyne and Matt attended for two
weeks cost $2,500 a week for each child.
"I figured I could open my own center and train therapists
instead of having my children go other places," Laura Joslin said.
"And the therapy is so excellent, I needed to bring it to this
area."
The center is the only one of its type in Brevard County and among
five in Florida that use the Therasuit.
Getting the state-licensed clinic up and running took about eight
months. The Joslins then sent two therapists to Michigan for one-on-one
training with Izabela Koscielny.
"I agreed to work here because I saw the suit, weights and
therapy and what it does," said Bensimon, an occupational
therapist. "In this place, these kids are using muscles they are
not usually using, and achieving goals that would normally take much
longer with traditional therapy."
Dina Smith, owner of Achieve Pediatric Therapy Services in Melbourne,
doesn't use this method of therapy at her facility. She doesn't have the
equipment, but she said she's seen tremendous results.
"I think it's great," she said. "It offers a different
form of therapy vs. traditional therapy. I've seen faster results,
because the kids are able to do this for weeks at a time."
Since May, four clients have come for therapy, and more appointments
are booked through the summer. The clinic can hold no more than two
patients in the morning and two in the afternoon.
"I don't want to compromise quantity for quality," Laura
Joslin said.
Last week, James Russell, 7, worked his muscles on the Universal
Exercise Unit, using weights, straps and pulleys.
He and his mom, Lisa Russell, traveled from Jacksonville to utilize
suit therapy. The family has traveled to Poland twice and California for
similar therapy.
But the cost has become overwhelming. The new Ability Plus Therapy
center is closer and offers the same treatment.
"It's certainly not as expensive as Poland," Russell said.
"It would cost us $10,000 per trip with the plane ticket and
program."
The Joslins' program offers a three-week session. Clients receive
intensive therapy for three or four hours each day, five days a week.
The cost is $4,500 for three-hour days and $6,000 for four-hour days.
Most clients complete the program twice a year to keep the body
trained.
Russell came because the improvements for her son, who also has CP,
have been astonishing. Once barely able to speak or walk, James can now
utter sentences and walk several steps while latched into the Therasuit.
"He could speak because his upper body was stronger and he had
better lung capacity," Russell said. "It's amazing how healthy
people take that for granted every day."
Terri Williams, an occupational therapist who is certified in the
Therasuit method, pushed James to perform various tasks. Counting and
praise accompanied each leg lift James performed.
The therapy is hard work, but James seemed to enjoy it.
"He knows it works, so he's willing to do it," Russell
said. "He's excited about doing things he has never done
before."
Like being hooked to bungee cords attached to a huge cage and having
the ability to jump up and down, something otherwise impossible for
children with cerebral palsy. The exercise helps James strengthen leg
muscles.
With suit therapy and the Universal Exercise Unit, children with
cerebral palsy get 45 hours of therapy in three weeks, as opposed to one
hour a week in traditional therapy.
"We use better equipment for a longer length of time,"
Williams said. "Every day we are building upon what the body
learns, and so the brain remembers."
The point of opening a clinic is to expose this therapy to more
families in Florida, Laura said.
"Before we went to therapy, Cheyne couldn't stand and get
something from the counter, but now he can because he has a sense of
balance," she said. "For someone with a neurological disorder,
that's huge."
