Therapy
In a world-first, a UK trial will test if a cannabis-based mouth spray can be used to treat aggressive brain tumours.
A major trial of cannabis-based drug Sativex in treating the most aggressive form of brain tumour is set to launch at 15 NHS hospitals around the UK. The new phase II trial, led by the University of Leeds, will assess whether adding Sativex – an oral spray containing cannabinoids THC and CBD – to chemotherapy, could extend life for thousands diagnosed with a recurrent glioblastoma. Glioblastomas are the most common and most aggressive form of brain cancer, with around 2,200 people diagnosed each year in England alone. Almost all glioblastomas recur even after intensive treatment including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and average survival is just 12-18 months from first diagnosis.
When Hayley Trotman walked out of Askham Rehab into her husband’s arms, having been able to move only a couple of her fingers four months earlier after being struck by Guillem-Barre Syndrome (GBS), her recovery marked a huge achievement.
As well as the remarkable progress made by Hayley, who had exceeded all expectations for her progress in that timeframe, her journey also showed what can be possible with specialist rehabilitation, even during the COVID-19 pandemic and its stringent restrictions. While for many patients around the UK and indeed the world, their rehabilitation was paused or delayed, at Askham, if anything, the team’s work with their residents intensified, ensuring that even during some of the most challenging conditions healthcare has ever faced, their recovery was allowed to continue.
What impact can the NeuroBall™ have on rehabilitation? Claire Everett, neurophysiotherapist at PhysioFunction, shares her insights into its benefits
What are the main benefits of NeuroBall™:- For your clients/patients?
- For your clinic?
Good news for groundbreaking programme that fuses art with recovery.
A pioneering telerehabilitation initiative which enabled people recovering from acquired brain injury to continue their therapies during the pandemic has reported significant progress for participants during the programme.
The evaluation of Neuro-Rehabilitation OnLine (N-ROL) and the fact participants “significantly improved on the two planned quantitative outcome measures” provides further academic analysis to support the hugely positive anecdotal evidence about the impact of telerehabilitation, which has grown exponentially in its use during the past year.
Speaking at Calvert Reconnections’ recent Zoominar for case managers and solicitors, activity lead Rob White made a compelling case for rehabilitation in the great outdoors
“The use of outdoor activities makes our rehabilitation service unique,” said Rob. “Working with leading clinicians and academics, our service combines traditional multi-disciplinary clinical therapies with physical activity in the outdoors to support individuals in their recovery from brain injury.” Rob brings over 20 years’ worth of outdoor coaching experience to the Calvert Reconnections team. He has always been a strong advocate for using outdoor activities to facilitate personal development and this underpins his practice. In 2018, he qualified with an MSc in Psychology. He researched the influence of rock climbing on people’s mental wellbeing and this highlighted the transformative potential of the outdoors. Rob uses his knowledge when designing and delivering programmes, focusing on maximising wellbeing by using adventurous activities and the outdoor environment.
With the creation of LusioMATE, rehabilitation is being revolutionised through the use of gaming. NR Times meets Justin Keenan, CEO of Lusio Rehab, to learn more about the world-first device
From a series of chance encounters came the creation of a business which is helping to revolutionise therapy and rehabilitation on a global scale through the use of gaming. With the creation of LusioMATE, the world’s first wearable therapy controller and game ecosystem, Lusio Rehab is helping to redraw the boundaries and rehab potential for people living with neurological conditions and other disabilities around the world. Since its launch in 2019, the device has expanded far beyond its origins in Australia to be in use in the UK, across Europe, the United States and South America.
The use of Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) can be critical for young children starved of oxygen at birth as evidence shows the injured brain can recover function, according to experts in the field.
A child’s brain structure changes as a result of illness or injury and research shows that the injured brain can recover function and the ability to respond to music can remain intact, even when those functions of the brain are damaged. For young people who have suffered a brain injury—either at birth, acquired, trauma-related or as a result of a condition such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy—NMT uses specific, age-appropriate techniques to help maintain or improve skills such as speech, language and communication—as well as motor and cognition skills. In the case of children with an acquired brain injury, NMT techniques are typically focused on a child’s development and enabling them to acquire functional skills for the first time. Lucy Collings Pettit, Neurologic Music Therapist at Chroma, says: “Babies who are starved of oxygen at birth can suffer Hypoxic—Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE). In such an event, a child’s brain injuries can result in developmental and cognitive impairments.
Over half of those living with neurological conditions who could not access speech and language therapy (SLT) during COVID-19 lockdown have seen their mental health, social and home lives worsen as a result, new research has revealed. Between March and June 2020, 41 per cent did not receive any SLT, with a further 32 per [...]
There are more than 100,000 new incidences of strokes in the UK each year - that is around one stroke every five minutes. 1.2 million people in the UK live with the after effects of stroke every day, making stroke one of the most resource-intensive indications faced by the NHS today, and a huge challenge for many years to come. The NHS and social care costs of stroke are around £1.7 billion a year in England. Therefore, stroke inevitably demands medical and therapy solutions founded on sound scientific principles, such as those provided by Ottobock.
