Have remote, will travel

Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at nine months, Kelsey has lived daily with the challenges presented by undeveloped muscles on her right side, compromising her eye muscles, arm and leg. Now, however, her once prominent limp is steadily diminishing. Like a new age bionic woman with remote in hand, Kelsey has begun to train her lower right leg to function with greater ease and comfort.

“We started traveling from Crosby where we live to Bismarck at least once a week in March,” said Kelsey’s mom, Jessica Busch.
“Medcenter One doctors and therapists have worked with Kelsey to see if the ActiveLeg is a good fit for her.”

Until very recently, Kelsey needed a cumbersome brace that locked her right leg in place on account of a cerebral palsy-induced condition called foot drop that makes foot and ankle muscles weak. When
Dr. Kevin Murphy, a pediatric rehabilitation specialist at
Medcenter One, determined Kelsey was a good candidate for a Bioness L300 ActiveLeg trial, physical therapists Crystal Zander and Jackie Mrachek implemented a care plan that tested Kelsey and conditioned her leg.

Kelsey is in control of the amount of stimulation her leg gets. If she feels her gait isn’t as natural or effortless as she’d like, or if she’s just becoming tired, her hand-held remote can adjust the level of stimulation and can also turn the unit on and off.

“She sometimes has fatigue in muscles because she’s using ones her body didn’t know she had,” Mrachek said. “Because her skin needs to adjust to the electrodes, she also needs to follow a protocol of wear time.”