Dr. Hermano Igo Krebs
CPIRF will award the 2009 Isabelle and Leonard H. Goldenson Technology and Rehabilitation Award to Dr. Hermano Igo Krebs at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Society of Neurorehabilitation Joint Educational Conference on Friday October 9th in Denver, Colorado. This award is presented annually to a scientist for outstanding contributions in the development and use of technology and rehabilitation methodologies that enhance the quality of life for individuals with cerebral palsy and other disabilities and their families. Dr. Krebs joined MIT’s Mechanical Engineering Department in 1997 where he is a Principal Research Scientist and Lecturer – Newman Laboratory for Biomechanics and Human Rehabilitation. He also holds an affiliate position as an Adjunct Research Professor of Neuroscience a Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He is a pioneer in the design, development, and testing of robots used to administer rehabilitation therapy to patients with stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, and acquired brain injury for the improvement of upper and lower extremity function. Hermano Igo Krebs’ team has now focused on robotic devices to help cerebral palsy patients with upper body therapy, and they have also initiated a project to design a pediatric robot for the ankle. Results from three published pilot studies conducted by Dr. Krebs involving 36 children suggest that cerebral palsy patients can greatly benefit from robotic therapy. The studies indicate that robot-mediated therapy helped the children reduce impairment and improve the smoothness and speed of their reaching motions.
My son Jacob is 19 with C.P. and had went to Poland in 1998 for a month of therapy with the adeli suit…we just seen this today 10-12-09 and was just in aw of this..I seen a smile on my son’s face that I have not seen in awhile and we are very interested in the robotic therapy and would like to get more information regarding this…if he is able to participate in this therapy and where it is offered..Please contact us…
Thank you
Dear Theresa,
We have two on-going studies here in the US: Blythedale and Riley Hospital (Valhalla, NY and Indianapolis, IN). I am unsure of the practicality, but perhaps he can participate in one of these studies. Please contact me at MIT and I will give you more details.
Thank you.
Hi There,
When it comes to CP, we are collaborating with two hospitals in the US: Blythedale and Riley Hospitals (Valhalla, NY and Indianapolis, IN). If it is practical for you and Jacob, I would be happy to facilitate the discussion on including him in a protocol. We are interested in kids with CP, but also on adults with CP. You can find my contact e-mail at MIT website.
Thank you.
I have a grandson with cp who is app.9 weeks old. He had a virus when he was born which caused the cp. The parents or doctors didn’t kow until he was 2 weeks old. They do not have his blood cord. Is there anything we can do to improve his live, The doctors at Children’s Hosp. in Lttlr Rock Ar. said 95% of his brain is gone and it is unlikely he will live to be 10 years old. We are all willing to give a part of our brain or anything we can do. He has 2 half brothers from my daughter who’s husband is deceased.Please help us!
I am truly sorry that I cannot be of further assistance. Our protocols were designed and approved by the collaborating hospitals and MIT for children age 4 and over. Hopefully by the time your grandson will be 4 y.o., a hospital close to his home will be working with the kind of technology that we are developing and hopefully that will be helpful.
My name is Leanne Snyder and I have a 9 year old son, Nathaniel, who has Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy. I was told of the Robotic Therapy that your facility and Blythdale offers to children with CP and am very interested in it for Nate. Over the years he has had tendon lengthening, numerous Botox injectives, PT and OT, Aquatic Therapy, and most recently an Intrafecal Baclofen Pump inserted into his abdomen, but it had to be removed because he developed a Staph infection around it and his body was unable to heal.
We live outside of Harrisburg, PA and travel to Shriner’s Children Hospital in Philadelphia every 3-6 months for their CP Clinic, and have traveled to Dupont in Delaware for their Gait Lab. We are very dedicated to improving our son’s life in any we can and will go to where we have to in order to help Nate and give him a chance.
I hope to receive a response from you concerning this particular therapy whether you can see him or not. I would appreciate any information or advice you can pass on to me.
Hi:
Can you tell me if the robotics are actually being sold or are they still in the research stage?
I recieved your email. Thank you very much!
My daughter, Amelia who is 6, has cerebral palsy. I’m not sure what type. I have been doing research on robotick therapy and think it will benifit her. I was wondering how I would find where she could receive the therapy. She can walk with a walker and is starting to use canes. I am willing to go anywhere to get her treatment if it will help her.
Thank you,
Hi There,
We are presently working with two hospitals in the US: Blythedale and Riley Childrens Hospitals (Valhalla, NY and Indianapolis, IN). In addition, Rancho Los Amigos will start to collaborate with us in similar program sometime in the spring 2010. The work on these facilities focus on the upper extremity. We should also start a lower extremity program at Blythedale Childrens Hospital but that only in 2011.
For the lower extremity there are other alternatives, I know of three hospitals but there might be others (Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston; Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago; and UCLA).
Hope this was helpful.
I’m a 28 yr old with spastic diplegia. I live in Brooklyn NY. I have been having trouble finding a physician who specializes in treating adults with cerebral palsy as I have aged out of pediatrics. I would preferably be interested in a multidisciplinary approach to care. iS THERE A FACILITY AND /OR PHYSICIAN THAT SPECILIZES IN TREATING ADULTS WITH CP WITH THE 5 BOROUGHS OF NYC?
I have a 4 year old daughter with spastic diplegia and live in Memphis TN. Only her right leg is seriously affected and needs a lower brace and botox injections. Recently we have used a brace that compells the tip of her foot to raise when she lifts her leg from the ground (it has a spring). This brace has been quite beneficial to her and I was wondering if it is possible to build braces with a robot that even further refines the movement of the leg, of the foot and its dorsiflection.
Thank you for your time.
Dear Cosetta,
Thanks to CPIRF and the Niarchos Foundation, I will be able soon to answer “done.” We should start testing sometime this year a pediatric version of our adult anklebot at Blythedale Childrens’ Hospital. The first design aims at the 5 to 8 year old group and hopefully we will see the kind of success story that we are seeing in adults with stroke.