Muscular dystrophy

FDA approves new drug to treat common form of muscular dystrophy based on research from U of A scientist

Created using synthetic DNA, viltolarsen is an excellent example of precision medicine. The U.S. FDA has approved a drug called viltolarsen to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The drug was developed based on research by U of A … READ MORE

Children’s toe walking not a sign of bigger problems

More than half of young children who toe walk will stop doing so on their own by about age 5. And most children who are toe walkers will not have any developmental or neuropsychiatric problems, a new study finds.[1] Idiopathic toe … READ MORE

New clues to the origin and progression of multiple sclerosis

Mapping of a certain group of cells, known as oligodendrocytes, in the central nervous system of a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), shows that they might have a significant role in the development of the disease. The discovery … READ MORE

Update: Orthotic care and physical therapy for DMD

Lower extremity interventions can help boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) stay ambulatory for years—and improve outcomes in the condition’s non-ambulatory phase. Devices can address contractures and other issues, while … READ MORE

Meet the bike designer who changes lives

Custom bikes make cycling dreams come true. Jerzee Wasylnuk’s mobility was achieved thanks to Freedom Concepts, a Winnipeg company where a team custom designs and builds bikes for people — mostly children — who would never … READ MORE

Treating pediatric toe walking – is it idiopathic?

Pediatric toe walking is not necessarily idiopathic and can be the result of an underlying deficit, Megan Smith, CO, director of clinical research at Surestep, said at the Association of Children’s Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics Annual … READ MORE

Connor needs help for new wheels

Connor Groenewoud just started junior high school this fall. And as the only boy in his entire school in a wheelchair, the 12-year old understands other students at times have trouble with the fact that he’s different. Sarah … READ MORE

Raising Singapore’s Paralympic heroes

Para-swimmer Yip Pin Xiu’s parents were 15 minutes late for the interview. Apologising, Margaret Chong said she and her husband, Yip Chee Khiong, had been picking out Havaianas flip-flops from a shopping mall in Rio. … READ MORE

New voices in medical advocacy are often patients

Parent-advocates of children with chronic conditions have long worked toward finding cures; adult self-advocates are shifting the focus to goals of independent work and living. A New Generation of Disability Advocates: The Patients … READ MORE

AFO users must rethink concept of ‘normal’ gait

Ankle foot orthoses can make a neuromuscular patient’s gait pattern more like that of an unaffected person, but the devices can also be associated with compensations of their own. And in some patients, a more ‘normal’ gait … READ MORE

Toe walking treatment and management

The management of toe walking is controversial — the natural history is poorly defined, and only limited data are available regarding direct comparisons of different treatment modalities. Therefore, the physician’s first decision … READ MORE

TheraTryke combines upper and lower body exercise for paraplegics

After taking a look at the Jet Blade hydroplaning watercraft last week, we were alerted to another senior design project from Calvin College, Michigan. A different group of students has designed and prototyped a device they’re … READ MORE

Cheap, lightweight powered wheelchairs for young

World’s lightest, least expensive motorized wheelchair designed by BYU engineering students. Young kids with various genetic disorders often have limited walking ability, requiring them to use wheelchairs. Yet, traditional … READ MORE