|
 |
 |
     |
 |
Pennsylvania BPI Therapists
Diane Barus, OTR/L, CHT
Are you a physical or occupational therapist, and does your center offer physical and/or occupational therapy for children and adults with brachial plexus injuries? Our center offers comprehensive services consisting of occupational therapy, physical therapy and recreational therapy. We provide services to individuals from birth to age 21 (if the child is in the system before age 18). . Indicate the number of years of experience in treating brachial plexus injured (bpi) patients. Our therapists’ experience range from 20 years to 3 years. The average number of years experience with the brachial plexus population is 3 years. Identify what bpi patients you have experiece in treating (obstetrical brachial plexus, trauma, adult and/or pediatric. Primarily obstetrical brachial plexus palsy. Occasionally traumatic brachial plexus injuries. Do you follow your patients post surgically? Yes, we have a comprehensive preoperative and postoperative therapy program. Do you or your staff have a working relationship with physician(s) who are brachial plexus injury specialists?. Yes, we work directly with Dr. Scott Kozin. He is a Hand and Upper Extremity Surgeon. What therapy techniques, methods and interventions do you use, including, but not limited to, aquatic therapy, hippotherapy, kinesiotaping and splinting. Traditional therapeutic exercise: range of motion, facilitatory techniques, splinting, Kinesiotaping, NMES. EMG/NCV analysis, Developmental and play activities, aquatic therapy. Are you familiar with NMES/TES stimulation or other types of stimulation? If yes, what type(s) of stimulation do you use?. All our therapists are trained to use NMES. We have one therapist who is trained for TES. He has completed both beginner and advanced Pape Program. Currently it is not used in this setting because the literature does not support the efficacy of TES at this time. List any specialized education or training and/or seminars or clinics you have attended in treating bpi individuals.
Have you authored or co-authored any articles regarding brachial plexus injuries or participated in any research studies? Yes. Susan Duff, EdD, OTR/L, PT, CHT is currently conducting research studies for infants and children with brachial plexus injuries examining early intervention and characteristics of movement. Shriners Hospital is also participating in a multi-center study led by Dr. Peter Waters from Children’s Hospital in Boston. To learn more about these studies, contact Sue at 215-430-4197 or email: sduff@shrinenet.org Some of our therapists have presented seminars on the evaluation and treatment of infants and children with brachial plexus injuries. We have presented locally, regionally and nationally including the American Physical Therapy Association Conference in 2002. Indicate any other facts that you feel would help families and individuals understand your practice At Shriners we are very invested in providing information and therapy intervention to families of young infants in order to maximize the potential the infant has for improvement in movement and overall function. We believe early visits (within the first month of birth) to Hand and Upper Extremity Surgeons and Therapists make a tremendous difference in the overall care since it provides the parents and caregivers with information regarding their child and his or her current needs. Furthermore, toddlers and school-age children may continue to benefit from ongoing rehabilitation whether or not they are candidates for surgical intervention. |
 |
|
 |
The appearance of information on this UBPN website does not imply endorsement by UBPN or its Board of Directors. Individuals need to consult with trusted clinicians to determine the appropriateness of products or services for their specific needs |