Recently, seven-year-old Eli completed serial casting treatment at La Rabida, working his way through 13 casts over the course of just 14 weeks. An incredibly smart, caring boy, Eli has Diplegic Cerebral Palsy that affects both of his legs. The muscles in the back of his ankles are most affected, making his ankles very tight – like he was always pointing his toes. During serial casting, Eli’s physical therapist applied a series of casts to increase his range of motion by progressively lengthening the shortened muscles in his legs.
While Eli was very independent and able to walk around his environment on his own, he was unable to put his feet flat to the ground and could only stand and walk VERY high up on his tip toes. This unstable base caused poor balance, frequent falls, and difficulties with things like going up and down stairs independently. So, as an active grade school student, Eli faced challenges every day – from participating in gym class to just being able to play on the playground with his friends.
During the course of his treatment, Eli and his mom never missed an appointment, even on the coldest day of the year! The pair were committed to the process, followed all directions, and worked extremely hard on his home exercise program every week. All this hard work paid off; Eli thrived with serial casting. Week after week, he made visible improvements in his gait pattern until he was standing and walking with his feet flat to the ground. GO ELI!
Now he’s receiving physical therapy through La Rabida’s outpatient program to continue to strengthen his muscles and improve his gait pattern, balance, and coordination. Eli is able to do this all because he has a stable base to stand on after serial casting!
Our approach to developmental services and rehabilitation allows children and their families benefit from the full spectrum of rehabilitative care available to them. Each year, La Rabida helps hundreds of developmentally and physically challenged children reach their full potential through comprehensive rehabilitative services for a variety of medical needs like Eli’s.
