Chief Investigator:

Associate Professor Remo Russo

Research Area:

Improving children’s mental health and the impact of developmental disorders.
Clinical Study

Funding Amount:

$94,724

Recipient:

Women’s and Children’s Health Network

Overview:

Botulinum toxin injection into the legs of children with cerebral palsy, a valid and accepted method for managing spasticity and functional loss, has significantly reduced the need for surgery. Concern remains regarding muscle weakness (atrophy) following repeated injections. Robotic technology in the form of the LokomatPro provides muscle stretch dynamically (while walking) and may assist in significantly increasing the injection interval, avoiding pain and discomfort for the child, reducing the impact of this neuro-developmental disorder which will be characterized more extensively in the study. SA is uniquely placed to undertake this research with the only Paediatric Robotics Lab in Australia.