University of Louisville Magazine

Winter- Spring 2016

The University of Louisville Alumni Magazine: for alumni, faculty, staff, students and anyone that is a UofL Cardinal fan.

Issue link: https://louisville.epubxp.com/i/643329

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W I N T E R / S P R I N G U O F L M A G A Z I N E | 3 3 W I N T W I N T W I N T W I N T W I N T W I N T W I N T W I N T W I N T W I N T W I N T W I N T I N I N W I N T W I N T W I N T W I N W I N W I N W I N N W N E R / S E R / S E R / S E R / S E R / S E R / S R / E R / S E R / S E R / S E R / S S E R / S E R / R / E R / S S / E R E R R P R I N P R I N P R I N P R I N P R I N P R I N R P R I N R I N P R I N P R I R I N P R I N P R I P R I R I N R I N P R I P R I P R R I N P R N P R R I N P R R N R P R R P R I P R I R I N N G U O F O F O F O F F O F O L M L M L M L M A L M A M A M A A L M L M L M M A L M L L L M L L G A Z I G A Z I G A G I N E N E N E E N E | 3 3 3 3 3 3 At age 4, Alex Brown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, suffered a spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma. Despite immediate surgery, this rare condition left him paralyzed. He was hospitalized for seven months and nearly lost his life on several occasions. Alex faced a diff cult future, but his parents were determined to give him the best pos- sible chance at recovery. After extensive online research, his mom found Andrea Behrman, PhD. Behrman is a professor in UofL's Department of Neurological Surgery and a pioneer in the use of locomotor therapy to help kids like Alex regain mobility after spinal cord impairments. Locomotor therapy uses body weight support and a treadmill—along with assistance from numerous therapists and technicians—to help patients with spinal cord conditions practice standing and walking. The goal of this approach is to re-train patients to sit, stand and walk by themselves and to improve their overall quality of life. For the past three summers, the Brown family has travelled from their home in Pittsburgh for treatment. Alex spends an hour every morning on the treadmill, followed by 30 minutes of sit- ting and standing sessions. And his progress has been impressive. Beyond an improvement in Alex's conf dence, the locomotor therapy has helped him develop better core strength and increased leg and toe movement. When Alex f rst arrived, he was high- ly dependent on his wheelchair. But Behrman and her staff challenged him in positive ways to work hard every session. Little by little, Alex regained motion. Now, with the support of his parents, he spends his free time in Louisville playing wheelchair tennis with UofL coach Meg Peavy, rowing on the Ohio River and having fun in the Ronald McDonald House playroom with his sister, Abby. Thanks to the advancements of Professor Behrman and her colleagues, spinal cord rehabilitation continues to break new ground for pediatric patients. And families from across the country f nd hope that their children will make strides and regain movement that they believed would be lost forever. "They were the groundbreakers of creating this program for pediatric patients, and we wanted Alex to be a part of it." — Amy Brown, Alex's mother ABOVE: Dr. Behrman (right) and her therapy team discuss Alex's treatment.

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