Impaired neuromuscular strength, movement and control are among the greatest detriments posed by brain injury, incomplete spinal cord injury and other musculoskeletal damage. Activating and re-educating muscles are paramount to improved outcomes, especially for children faced with such debilitating conditions that can stifle normal growth and development.
One highly effective, unique physical therapy tool to treat musculoskeletal disorders, as part of a comprehensive pediatric physical therapy program, is Redcord. A revolutionary suspension system created in Norway, Redcord provides a proven method to apply “high effort without the need for high mechanical load, using key biomechanical principles to optimally enhance muscle activation and function.” Its unique combination of ropes and slings supports movement in multiple planes and promotes rotational variation and progress.
Here’s how Redcord works: A given body part is suspended on a plane according to the myofascial chain being addressed (if the patient lacks muscle strength Control or motor-planning aptitude, a bungie assist can be offered as needed). So, for example, to address the back, the thigh might be suspended with the patient using the thigh as a lever, while pushing down through the suspension’s sling and lifting up the back.
Redcord essentially (allow regressions and progressions of neuromuscular re-education of the whole body, allowing the clinician to make the exercises more challenging in an effort to overcome musculoskeletal instability and pain and restore motor control . A great benefit of using Redcord in physical therapy sessions includes the ability to train the muscles along a particular myofascial chain, in perfect alignment and through increments of range. Additionally, the system’s capacity to offer a bungie assist facilitates the delivery of a unique physical therapy plan.
Here at Children’s Specialized Hospital, we have been using Redcord for pediatric physical therapy since 2013. Since then, we have seen improvements in:
- muscle activation
- strength
- endurance
- gait
- functional bed mobility
And we have found that nearly any patient who has neural input to the muscles is a good candidate for Redcord.
Have any of your patients benefited from a suspension system like Redcord?