Last year, a unique treatment program was launched at the largest Czech children's hospital Vesna in Janské Lázně, and not only for children. Rehabilitation physician Peter Olšák treats nerve palsies using a combination of acupuncture and electrotherapy.
More than a hundred children have already undergone this treatment, and many of them have noticed signs of improved movement after the first application.
The author of the new method is Peter Olšák, who continues to develop it in cooperation with Palacký University in Olomouc. He joined the team of doctors at the Vesna Children's Hospital last year to participate in the rehabilitation of severe cases of children, for example after cerebral palsy. There is great interest in the treatment and it is also celebrating its first successes: "Thanks to teamwork, we managed to lift a patient out of a wheelchair after severe spinal paralysis. I am glad that even the youngest patients, for whom conventional rehabilitation procedures are quite limited due to age, respond well to the treatment. The good news is what we already know from applications in adult patients, that the treatment has virtually no side effects," reveals MUDr. Peter Olšák. Every month, dozens of patients with severe movement disorders visit the Janské Lázně treatment center, and some of them have documented very rapid progress in treatment. This involves a number of procedures that aim to make it easier for young patients to sit, stand, climb or do other activities that they were unable to do before treatment. The positive results are being noted by the professional public in our country and abroad.
The full name, electroacupuncture neuromuscular facilitation, was first used in the treatment of paralysis in adult patients. Later, at the instigation of some parents, MUDr. Olšák also began applications in pediatric patients at the rehabilitation department in Olomouc. He connected traditional acupuncture, which is among the official medical methods in the Czech Republic, with current knowledge of physical therapy. "The doctor inserts acupuncture needles into the patient and then uses a device to deliver an electric current to the acupuncture needles. Patients experience this as a tingling sensation, and at higher intensities, there are also visible muscle contractions. The current helps the pathways in the body that are damaged to function better," Olšák explains the course of treatment. It is interesting that children cope very well with these applications, often better than other rehabilitation procedures.
The method is constantly being developed and the procedures are gradually being improved and refined so that visible improvements can be achieved in the shortest possible time. In November 2021, a project of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic was successfully defended at Palacký University in Olomouc, in which it was possible to develop and test an effective improvement of the method with a new technique. A further expansion of the range of new treatment processes is also planned. "We are gradually trying to build teamwork between doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and other people who strive to improve the condition of our patients. We also have a number of modern devices, including robotics. Our efforts are aimed at harmonizing honest work with modern knowledge and thus enabling young patients to make further progress in their often very demanding treatment," concludes Peter Olšák.
Source: www.hospitalin.cz
