Comprehensive Care for Children With Cerebral Palsy or Other Neuromuscular Disorders

The Ortho Rehab Clinic treats babies, children and teens with cerebral palsy (CP) and other disorders, such as  and . Our goal is to help your child move through the world more easily and have the best possible function and quality of life.

We see children who are affected by neuromuscular disorders in a wide range of ways — from those who move around without any help to those who use a wheelchair.

Seattle Children’s offers the most comprehensive care in the Pacific Northwest for children with CP.

Why choose Seattle Children’s Ortho Rehab Clinic?

Expert evaluation of your child’s needs

Experts from Orthopedics (who specialize in treating children’s muscles, bones and joints) and Rehabilitation Medicine (who specialize in helping children get used to conditions that affect function) work together to evaluate your child’s needs.
In the Ortho Rehab Clinic, you may see an orthopedic surgeon and a rehabilitation medicine doctor or at the same time in the same room. This way they can talk with you and each other in real time about the best care for your child.
To focus on your child’s specific health concerns and make scheduling easier for you, team members also see children separately in the Orthopedics Clinic or the Rehabilitation Clinic.

Coordinated, team-based care

Based on your child’s needs, we team up with other providers throughout Seattle Children’s, such as experts from Neurodevelopmental, Neurology, Neurosurgery, the Hand and Upper Extremity Program, the Tone Management Program and Physical Therapy.
Your child’s doctors, surgeons, nurses, therapists and others will work together closely to coordinate your child’s care.
Input from your child’s community or school therapist is also valuable to the team.

Customized treatment plan

Your team will take into account everything they learn from you and your child, and they will consider all of the possible treatment options to design a plan custom-made for your child and family.
We offer many nonsurgical options as well as advanced surgical procedures, carefully combining and timing treatments to get the best results for your child.
Read more about cerebral palsy treatment at Seattle Children’s.

Services We Provide

Seattle Children’s offers many services to help children with neuromuscular disorders, including these:

Physical therapy, including  and  with a system that supports your child’s weight while they practice walking (SafeGait)
Occupational therapy, such as 
Speech and language therapy, including augmentative and alternative communication for children who do not talk
Orthotics and bracing to support your child’s body or help them move
Medicines taken by mouth to reduce stiff muscles (spasticity)
Botox (botulinum toxin) injections and phenol injections to reduce spasticity
Orthopedic surgery, including :
- To release muscles,  and  that keep your child’s joints from moving (contractures)
- To prevent contractures from getting worse
- To change the shape of bones deformed by contractures
- To align bones to improve your child’s function, comfort or position, such as how they sit in a wheelchair
Neurosurgery:
- To reduce spasticity in your child’s legs (selective dorsal rhizotomy)
- To place a pump in your child’s belly (abdomen) that delivers medicine to reduce spasticity throughout your child’s body ()
Care for your child’s nutrition needs, sleep, behavior and other health issues with the Neurodevelopmental team

Meet Your Ortho Rehab Team

Orthopedic surgeons and rehabilitation medicine doctors and nurse practitioners see children in the Ortho Rehab Clinic. They provide or oversee many parts of your child’s treatment.

Many Seattle Children’s physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists also provide care for children with cerebral palsy or other neuromuscular disorders.

Based on your child’s needs, your child may also see providers from other areas of Seattle Children’s, such as Neurodevelopmental, Neurology, Neurosurgery, the Hand and Upper Extremity Program and the Tone Management Program.

Providers in the program include: