Nine children from the Balearic Islands begin sessions with a pediatric exoskeleton

PalmThe Government of the Balearic Islands has started sessions with the pediatric exoskeleton, which are taking place at the Early Intervention and Assessment Service (SVAP). So far, it has been carried out with six children aged 4, 5, 8, and 11 years old. Three more, aged 7 and 9 years old, have joined them this week and others who are currently being assessed will be added. Each boy or girl will initially undergo 24 one-hour sessions with a frequency of two per week.

The Atlas 2030 exoskeleton is a robot indicated for treating pediatric patients aged 3 to 10 years old with severe motor problems due to cerebral palsy (CP) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), as well as for gait rehabilitation in children, as a complement to conventional therapies (such as physical training, orthopedic surgery, etc.). Its function is to strengthen muscles, improve gait efficiency and independence, and delay complications associated with prolonged immobilization.

All children have been evaluated by specialist rehabilitation doctors from the Health Service, as well as by specialized physiotherapists from the Social Services Area. Thus, it has been verified that they meet the necessary conditions to use this type of robotic rehabilitation. They are patients with CP and SMA who, in addition, have a series of anthropometric characteristics (height, weight, length or joint mobility of lower extremities, etc.), muscle spasticity, and who have medical authorization to be able to stand and walk. Furthermore, they do not have certain contraindications, such as allergies to the exoskeleton materials, uncontrolled epilepsies, or cardiorespiratory problems that advise against its use.

Increase the number of children

The approach, once the training of physiotherapist professionals concluded last January, is that the number of children will increase to the point where between fifty and seventy boys and girls will use it each year.

The exoskeleton was acquired by the Health Service of the Balearic Islands with funds from the European Union Next Generation, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. With the purchase, the Balearic Islands became the sixth autonomous community to have a pediatric exoskeleton, but the first to incorporate it as an integrated care project between health and social services.

Monitoring commission

In fact, a monitoring commission has been created, made up of rehabilitation and physiotherapy experts with heads from the Health Service and the SVAP, who, in parallel to the sessions, are assessing the progress of the children to verify the results the therapy is having. This same group, made up of technicians from the two departments, is the one responsible for evaluating candidates whose profile may be suitable for the exoskeleton.