‘Spastic kids can become independent with good treatment’

Sancheti Hospital introduced a new paediatric orthopaedic and neuro rehab centre on March 29. According to Dr Sandeep Patwardhan, very few doctors specialise in this area which deals with a large number of spastic cases because it is less glamorous and requires long hours.

DNA speaks to Dr Patwardhan about the need to spread awareness about spasticity treatment and how the hospital’s new department and technology will help.

Q: The hospital recently introduced a new neuro rehab centre. Is there a particular group that you wish to treat?
A: Almost 75% of all patients with neurological problems that come to the orthopedic institute suffer from cerebral palsy (CP) and 25% are adults with other neurological problems. Therefore, our new rehab is focused towards children with CP.

Q: Was a need-based analysis done before starting these centres?
A: We have not done any comprehensive research to launch the centre but I have been working in this field since last 14 years. We intend to offer super specialisation in paediatric orthopaedic along with neuro therapy services at one centre
in Pune.

We had been thinking for the last few years to start such a centre and when we found a suitable partner in Sneh RERC, a Mumbai-based rehab centre for specialised care for cerebral palsy patients, we decided to see it through.

Q: What gap do you hope to fill for treatment of paediatric patients?
A: Earlier, CP patients went for surgery only on their birthdays so we call it the ‘birthday syndrome’. All parts of the body are interconnected and hence the surgeries related to CP should ideally be done at one go to have the required effect.

We suggest that patients undergo therapy till the age of 4, take botulinum toxin injections (commonly referred to as botox) from age 4-8 and then go for all the surgeries after that.

Awareness about the benefits of effective management of CP and its role in making spastic children functionally independent is very low and the paediatric neuro rehab is a step to achieve that goal.

Q: Do you plan to introduce any new equipment for treatment?
A: The 2D Gait lab is a new technology that we are introducing. The gait or manner in which a child moves on his or her feet will be caught by the cameras with special software that will help us analyse and correct it. We also have other special equipment for sensory integration and neuro developmental therapy for spastic children.