TheraSuit Method Intensive Therapy

What is it?

​The TheraSuit® Method is a pioneering therapeutic approach designed for children with neurological disorders like cerebral palsy, incorporating specialized equipment and methods to enhance children's movement capabilities by bolstering strength, endurance, and overall motor skills. This method offers advantages such as central nervous system retraining, muscle tone normalization, gait pattern correction, enhanced balance, increased strength, and improved bone density.

​With FDA approval, the TheraSuit ensemble encompasses shorts, a vest, knee pads, shoe attachments, and a hood, drawing inspiration from the Russian Space Program's initial design to counter weightlessness' adverse effects. Innovated by physical therapists Izabela and Richard Koscielny for individuals with disabilities, the suit utilizes elastic bands to align the body, reinforce weak muscles, and offer external stabilization, with the bands being customizable for each child's specific support or resistance requirements.

Who can benefit from it?

The TheraSuit Method Therapy is an innovative approach tailored to children with neuromuscular disorders. Whether your child is facing challenges such as Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, Spinal Cord Injury, Spina Bifida, Down Syndrome, or general hyper- or hypotonicity, this method offers targeted support. Our program caters to children aged 3-8 years old, aiming to unlock new levels of functional progress and improve their quality of life.

• TheraSuit Method Intensive Therapy
• TMIT Application
• TheraSuit Method Equipment
• The Benefits of TheraSuit Method Therapy

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​Crossway Pediatric is delighted to offer TheraSuit Method Intensive Therapy sessions, catering to children aged 3 to 8 years old. This comprehensive program entails 3-hour daily sessions, spanning five days a week from Monday through Friday, all for a duration of 3 weeks. Witness your child's progress as they engage in this intensive therapy designed to bring about transformative changes. The camp investment stands at $4500, a commitment to your child's enhanced functional abilities and improved quality of life. ​Notably, this fee can potentially be offset through insurance coverage, as Crossway is in-network with numerous major insurance companies, ensuring accessibility to this invaluable opportunity for your child's growth.

Embarking on the transformative journey of our therapy intensive process is simple. Just head over to the TMIT Application tab and complete the application. Once done, one of our skilled therapists will be in touch with you promptly via phone to guide you through the next steps. Your child's path to enhanced well-being and functional progress begins with this straightforward process.

The Universal Exercise Unit

The TheraSuit

The ​the TheraSuit introduces a specific and unique pressure through these elastic bands. This pressure works in tandem to restore what's known as deep proprioception, a profound sense of body position and movement derived from joints, ligaments, and muscles. This heightened proprioception fosters a profound connection between the body's sensory and motor functions, allowing for more accurate and controlled movement.

At the heart of the TheraSuit's magic lies its ability to offer external stabilization, particularly to the trunk region. By providing this stability, the suit acts as a secure scaffold, enabling both upper and lower extremities to move in a more fluid and coordinated manner. This means that not only does the TheraSuit method help correct and optimize movement patterns, but it also ensures that these patterns are executed with greater ease and finesse.

​The Universal Exercise Unit, affectionately dubbed "the cage," has long been a staple in intensive therapy programs for children grappling with conditions like Cerebral Palsy.

At its core, this system is designed around an ingenious network of pulleys. This pulley setup serves a dual purpose: one, it effectively strengthens the body's musculature, helping to combat muscular weaknesses that often accompany conditions like Cerebral Palsy. Two, it gently guides the body through its full range of motion, ensuring that joints and muscles experience the comprehensive movement they require for optimal function.

What truly sets this setup apart, however, is the incorporation of elastic cords. These unobtrusive yet potent elements introduce an exciting dynamic into the mix. This dynamism is key for promoting movement in virtually any position, thus enabling children to explore and train their bodies in ways that might have seemed improbable. These cords act as an assistance or resistance, depending on the required movement, nurturing gradual progress and improvement.

The TheraSuit Method is a holistic approach with an array of benefits that can significantly transform a child's developmental journey:

• Re-trains Central Nervous System: By engaging the nervous system, the TheraSuit Method helps reroute and strengthen neurological pathways.
• Restores Ontogenic Development: This method supports children in achieving developmental milestones that might have been challenging due to their conditions.
• Provides External Stabilization: The TheraSuit acts as a stabilizing force, aiding children in maintaining postural control.
• Normalizes Muscle Tone: Irregular muscle tone can be addressed, leading to improved movement capabilities.
• Aligns the Body: The suit helps align the body as closely to a standard posture as possible, encouraging more efficient movement patterns.
• Dynamic Correction: The method constantly adapts to the child's movements, promoting the learning of correct motor patterns.
• Normalizes Gait Pattern: Children are guided toward developing a more typical walking pattern.
• Provides Tactile Stimulation: Tactile feedback fosters sensory awareness and responsiveness.
• Influences the Vestibular System: The method encourages vestibular system engagement, promoting balance and spatial orientation.
• Improves Balance and Coordination: Enhanced equilibrium and coordination are natural outcomes of this method.
• Reduces Uncontrolled Movements: In conditions like ataxia and athetosis, the method aids in minimizing uncontrolled movements.
• Improves Body and Spatial Awareness: Heightened awareness of one's body and surroundings is cultivated.
• Supports Weak Muscles: The TheraSuit provides essential support for weak muscles, enabling improved function.
• Offers Resistance: It also challenges strong muscles, promoting further strengthening.
• Enhances Speech Production: Improved head control and trunk support can positively influence speech fluency.
• Develops Motor Skills: Both fine and gross motor skills flourish through this comprehensive approach.
• Enhances Bone Density: The method's exercises contribute to better bone health.
• Decreases Contractures: The TheraSuit Method helps counteract muscle contractures, aiding flexibility.
• Improves Hip Alignment: Vertical loading over the hip joint helps address hip alignment concerns.

Embark on this journey with the TheraSuit Method and witness your child unlock a world of newfound capabilities and independence.