Shenandoah Robinson, MD, Pediatric Neurosurgeon, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital
Although there is currently no cure for spasticity, advanced treatments can definitely make a huge impact: enabling kindergartners to run on the playground with their peers; helping non-ambulatory kids drive their own wheelchairs; and allowing teens who were once unable to manipulate a pen to communicate by holding a computer mouse.
“Activities that most people take for granted prove difficult for children with spasticity, so successful treatments can definitely change their lives,” says Shenandoah Robinson, MD, a pediatric neurosurgeon at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.
What Causes Spasticity?
Dararat Mingbunjerdsuk, MD, Pediatric Neurologist, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital
“Spasticity is caused by a disruption in the pathway that connects the brain to the muscles,” says Dararat Mingbunjerdsuk, MD, a pediatric neurologist who sees patients at the Spasticity Center at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. This faulty signal leads to high tone, or rigidity, in the muscles that
is also known as “spasticity” and eventually causes a decrease in muscle strength and bone density. Children with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries — such as stroke — may develop spasticity.
UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital’s Spasticity Center provides some of the region’s most advanced care for children, offering a full scope of comprehensive services from national leaders in the field.
Treatments
To pinpoint optimal treatment, the Spasticity Center’s team carefully evaluates each child and tailors a plan based on specific needs. All treatments are designed to reduce pain, and improve muscle tone and independence.
Nonsurgical treatments, such as intense physical therapy, oral medication and Botox injections, help children with milder forms of spasticity to function more effectively. Surgical options for some children with more severe spasticity include:
Intrathecal baclofen pump: This is a device that is surgically implanted in the abdominal wall and delivers a medication to the cerebrospinal fluid bathing the spinal cord which dampens the message from the brain that causes spasticity.
Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR): This delicate procedure is designed to benefit children who were born prematurely. During the procedure, a portion of abnormal sensory dorsal nerve roots exiting the spinal cord are identified and partially cut in order to interrupt the message from the brain that causes spasticity. Dr. Robinson is the only pediatric neurosurgeon in the area performing minimally invasive SDRs, which helps children to heal and progress
to physical therapy more quickly after surgery.
In addition to her surgical expertise, Dr. Robinson also conducts research surrounding the prevention of spasticity.
“Our goal at the Spasticity Center is to promote independence, strengthen self-esteem and use our expert resources to maximize every child’s capabilities,” says Dr. Mingbunjerdsuk. “We focus on improving the lives of children with every tool we have.”