HEALTH & BEAUTY Danielle’s story
At Liberty, each patient’s journey is different and the goal isn’t always just about movement. For 24-year-old Danielle, who has cerebral palsy, the first step on her rehabilitation journey has been pain management.
Last year, rather than undergo intense surgery to reverse her condition, Danielle made the decision to instead seek the help of the neurological physiotherapists at Liberty to control her symptoms.
When she was first diagnosed with cerebral palsy aged one following a medical mistake at birth, the professional outlook was that Danielle’s condition would be stable and she would walk using a stick.
‘‘Despite CP being caused by a brain injury, surprisingly Danielle had never even seen a neurologist up until 2018 so the idea of a neuro-physiotherapist had never entered the equation’’
“Incredibly, this was not true. I have spent my whole life constantly overcompensating my walk that, in the last two years, the pain has become unbearable, my mobility is decreasing as time goes on due to the pain and I’m currently housebound or need to use a wheelchair if I leave the house,” Danielle says. Danielle has spastic diplegia, the most common form of CP, which causes extreme and constant tightness or stiffness in the muscles of the lower body. Her condition mainly affects her legs but referred pain can also travel up into her hips and back.
“I had NHS physiotherapy throughout my childhood but they never dealt with the cerebral
palsy as a whole. They would work on my hips or my knees but didn’t consider how one affected the other.
“In 2005, aged ten, I had surgery to lengthen my calf muscles. I’ve also had regular injections of Botox over the years to relax the muscles but as soon as that wore off I’d be back to square one.”
By the time she reached 16, Danielle’s spasms had become so severe she couldn’t move her legs but doctors couldn’t determine the obvious cause. In the middle of sitting her GCSEs, her legs were strapped together for eight weeks – something she says made her condition worse and that she’s never recovered from. However, she hasn’t let it hold her back. At 18, she moved away to Lancaster University to study Psychology and has recently completed a master’s degree.
“I refused to go to a special school but fought for a year to have handrails installed on the steps outside my school. I can walk with a frame or crutches but I did use my wheelchair at university to get around the huge campus quicker.” However, due to the medication she takes for
pain and spasms, Danielle is unable to work as it makes her drowsy and unable to communicate. After reaching 16, Danielle says the amount of physiotherapy she received on the NHS reduced dramatically. As a result, the pain has continued to increase and she was referred to Leeds General Infirmary for specialist surgery called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy. Leeds is one of only five centres in the UK to carry out the highly aggressive procedure which involves cutting nerves in the spine to permanently reduce pain and spasticity. However, the irreversible treatment leaves patients needing to learn to walk again, a battle Danielle was willing to face to no longer be in pain.
Before the surgery, prospective patients are given a trial injection of muscle relaxant, Baclofen, into the muscles around the spine to try and gauge the effectiveness of the surgery. “Unfortunately, my muscles were too weak to have any significant hope that I’d be able to walk again after the surgery. Also, SDR isn’t available on the NHS and would have cost us £15,000 so it just wasn’t a viable option.” However, the team at Leeds suggested
‘‘It has reduced my pain substantially and you can see it physically drain away during our sessions’’
Danielle would benefit from seeing a neurological physiotherapist. Despite CP being caused by a brain injury, surprisingly Danielle had never even seen a neurologist up until 2018 so the idea of a neuro-physiotherapist had never entered the equation.
Danielle did her research and found Liberty Physiotherapy – just a mile down the road from her home in Rotherham.
She has been working with senior neurological physiotherapist, Tamar, once a week since last May, with the main objection to improve her pain levels. “Tamar quickly established that I can’t do repetitive movements – something I didn’t know after over 20 years of NHS physio. After the first rep, my leg muscle spasms and shuts down which means I can’t do active physio just yet.” However, Tamar suggested they use soft tissue manipulation to reduce the fluid retention that builds up in Danielle’s muscles which restricts movement due to the muscle density. “It has reduced my pain substantially and you can see it physically drain away during our sessions. It has begun to stay away for around a week, closer to the next time I’m at Liberty. “Tamar has suggested a vibration roll to use at home in between our meetings and regular use could mean I can maintain exercises for longer so we can start active physiotherapy.”
Have you been told you have plateaued in your rehabilitation? Let us help you take the next step along your rehabilitation journey
Specialists in the following neurological disorders: • Cerebral Palsy
• Spinal Cord Injury • Traumatic Brain Injury
• Stroke • Multiple Sclerosis • Parkinson’s
• Chronic neck and back conditions
Revolutionary Neuromuscular - Energising Therapy (NET)
A hands-on treatment technique that can open pathways to aid recovery, many years after the initial trauma.
Hollowgate House, Hollowgate, Rotherham S60 2LD
Tel: 01709 837752
email:
admin@libertyphysiotherapy.co.uk www.libertyphysiotherapy.co.uk
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