Department of Pediatric Neurological Rehabilitation - HELIOS Clinic Hattingen

About the Department of Pediatric Neurological Rehabilitation at HELIOS Clinic Hattingen

The Department of Pediatric Neurological Rehabilitation at the HELIOS Clinic Hattingen offers the full range of medical services in its area of specialization. The department provides the high-quality rehabilitation measures for diseases and injuries of the nervous system in patients of various age categories, ranging from infants, school children, adolescents to young people. During the development of an individual rehabilitation program, the department’s specialists set themselves the goal of eliminating motor and intellectual disabilities as much as possible, so that young patients can return to their usual way of life. The department is headed by Dr. med. Ulf Hustedt.

The classical forms of physiotherapy, art therapy, ergotherapy, neuropsychological care are supplemented by rehabilitation measures using robotic systems. The department has advanced equipment, such as an Erigo® tilt-table, a Lokomat® robotic orthopedic simulator for gait restoration, an Andago® simulator for more intensive gait training, and an Armeo®Spring simulator for restoring hand and arm functions. The training on robotic equipment gives an effective result. Such therapy is mostly prescribed for paraplegia, stroke, traumatic brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and cerebral palsy.

The medical team of the department believes that successful rehabilitation results can only be achieved using an integrated approach, and therefore the specialized doctors, physiotherapists, neuropsychologists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, art therapists and other experts participate in the treatment program. All of them not only carry out therapeutic measures, but also strongly support their patients on their way to recovery.

The department specializes in the neurological rehabilitation for the following diseases:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Brain lesions due to hypoxia
• Inflammatory brain lesions
• Brain hemorrhage / cerebral infarction
• Brain tumors
• Spinal cord injuries
• Neuromuscular diseases
• Cerebral palsy
• Congenital malformations of the nervous system (for example, spina bifida)
• Conditions after surgery (for example, for hip dysplasia, scoliosis)
• Other diseases and pathological conditions

The therapeutic options of the department include:

• Physiotherapy (individual and group training)
  • Training using the Erigo® tilt-table to restore balance while standing
  • Forced-use therapy
  • "Music and movements" training complex
  • Kinesio taping
  • Therapeutic golf rehabilitation
  • Relaxation procedures
  • Manual therapy (classical massage, massage of reflexogenic zones on the feet, colon massage, manual lymphatic drainage, compression procedures)
  • Hydrotherapy (four-chamber baths, therapeutic baths with special additives, Kneipp therapy)
  • Heat therapy (the use of special mud, infrared light, hot compresses)
  • Electrotherapy
• Ergotherapy
  • Perfetti method
  • Bobath therapy
  • Affolter approach
  • Training to restore self-care skills (personal hygiene, eating, etc.)
• Neuropsychological care to eliminate attention, memory, perception disorders, personality disorders
• Speech and language therapy (individual and group training) to restore speech and eliminate problems with swallowing
• Remedial gymnastics (mainly group training)
  • Balance training
  • Endurance training
  • Training to improve motor function
  • Lokomat® training
• Robotic rehabilitation therapy
  • Training on the special Erigo® tilt-table
  • Training on the Lokomat® robotic orthopedic simulator for gait restoration
  • Training on the Andago® simulator for more intense gait training
  • Training on the Armeo®Spring simulator to restore the functions of the hand and arm
• Art therapy
• Music therapy
• Other rehabilitation services