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North Carolina BPI Therapists
Gina H. Bivins
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 facility offers physical therapy only. We specialize in children birth to 5 years but see children from birth to 18 years of age. Indicate the number of years of experience in treating brachial plexus injured (bpi) patients. I have 20 years experience in pediatrics that includes neonatal intensive care unit work (6 years), developmental preschool (1 year) and private practice (13 years). I have seen children with BPI in the hospital setting and in private practice. Identify what bpi patients you have experiece in treating (obstetrical brachial plexus, trauma, adult and/or pediatric. I treat only children with obstetrical brachial plexus injury. I have no experience in the other forms of brachial plexus injury. How many bpi patients have you treated? I can not give you a specific number as I do not recall all of the patients that I saw in the hospital setting. The numbers are not large as this injury is often referred for occupational therapy instead or is not actively treated. Do you follow your patients post surgically? I have followed one patient post surgery, and have done a great deal of research on this topic. I have written a paper that is being submitted for publication. Do you or your staff have a working relationship with physician(s) who are brachial plexus injury specialists?. No, the child that I saw post surgery was treated at Texas Children’s Hospital and was not followed locally. What therapy techniques, methods and interventions do you use, including, but not limited to, aquatic therapy, hippotherapy, kinesiotaping and splinting. Therapy techniques vary for each child. I use an active functional therapeutic approach to getting children to initiate activities with the injured arm. These activities include gross motor activities, functional electrical stimulation, forced use paradigms and play activities. I use splinting and assistive devices as needed but do not fabricate them. Our local aquatic center does allow treatment of patients in the water. This area also offers several hippotherapy programs but I do not actively participate in the sessions. Are you familiar with NMES/TES stimulation or other types of stimulation? If yes, what type(s) of stimulation do you use? I am quite familiar with NMES and use functional stimulation during treatment of children with BPI. I do not use TES. List any specialized education or training and/or seminars or clinics you have attended in treating bpi individuals. Actively working on my doctorate in physical therapy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a specialization in pediatrics. Part of that degree is the research and potential publication of an extensive article on the treatment and review of current research on the recovery from a brachial plexus injury. Have you authored or co-authored any articles regarding brachial plexus injuries or participated in any research studies? I have authored one article on BPI that is currently in revision for submission for publication. Indicate any other facts that you feel would help families and individuals understand your practice My practice is built around individualized care. The research may say one thing but I look at each child and where they are in recovery and function and design a program that allows that child to progress as much as possible. I adjust programs as the child develops new skills. The family is responsible for a home program that is designed to be a functional and an intrinsic part of daily activities. The most important aspect of shoulder function is the maintenance of full passive range of motion and this must be the center piece of all family activities. |
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