Space suit therapy helps paralysed toddler walk

The initial diagnosis by the doctors was "severe mental and physical disability with epilepsy

Dubai - In autumn 2015, Raphael, who was two by then, started his first course of treatment.

Raphael Heer, 3, was a stillborn when delivered by Caesarian section. The doctors were successful in resuscitating him, but Raphael was left paralysed.
What followed for Raphael's parents - Daniela and Benjamin - was "a year of horror with treatments, doctors, despair and hope". The initial diagnosis by the doctors was "severe mental and physical disability with epilepsy", remembers Daniela Heer.
The family searched for suitable alternative treatments. A year later, the osteopaths managed to release the cramps in his arms but Raphael could not stand, walk or sit. Finally, the Heers were bought to a Dubai Health Authority (DHA) approved international clinic for intensive neurorehabilitation called Adeli Medical Centre, in Piestany, Slovakia.

Raphael as an infant, after he was paralysed (left) and while undergoing therapy. - Supplied photo
In autumn 2015, Raphael, who was two by then, started his first course of treatment. At the time, he could not stand, walk or sit. The  initial breakthrough came as Raphael began sitting on his own. This was a huge breakthrough.
During his second stay at the medical centre, he was able to hold objects and stand up. "Raphael wasn't the same boy after the treatment. He started walking by himself by hanging onto the furniture," his mother recalls. To encourage further progress, botulinumtoxin was administered to Raphael three weeks before his third stay. This enabled him to extend his leg and stand with his foot flat on the ground.

A healthy and mobile Raphael today after he took his first steps.- Supplied photo
The most recent development came when Raphael took his first steps in the medical centre's space suit. His parents said: "This progress confirms we were right to bring him here. In Germany, the intensive support was missing because of the lack of time and vision on the system's part; there are no comparable treatments.
What happens at this centre
The "cosmonaut syndrome", akin to the well-known "bed rest syndrome", results in motor disorders, muscle loss, osteoporosis, and neurological deficits. It occurs in astronauts from exposure to zero gravity and lack of movement in space stations. This phenomenon arises in people with spastic disorders and other physical disabilities because their musculo-skeletal system is hardly used.
In a therapeutic context, the training at Adeli in simulated hyper- and hypo-gravity activates the so-called anti-gravitation system. In healthy people, this regulates the movement process under normal gravitational force. Patients learn to sit, stand and walk independently from the stimulation of the proprioceptive system.
saman@khaleejtimes.com