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LVB.com: At Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, a Robotic Exoskeleton Is Helping Children with Brain Disorders Learn How to Walk

December 04, 2020

Lehigh Valley Business recently profiled Good Shepherd Pediatrics’ pioneering use of Trexo Plus, a wearable robotic exoskeleton technology that empowers children to walk, sometimes for the first time in their lives. No other rehabilitation provider in Pennsylvania offers this life-changing technology.

Jennifer Pineda drove her 6-year-old daughter Emily to Allentown every week before the pandemic hit. The one-hour drive from Blue Bell, Pa., to the Good Shepherd Health & Technology Center, a rehabilitation center of the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, was something Emily looked forward to. 

Emily (pictured above, left) has cerebral palsy, which has delayed her ability to walk. But with the help of the center’s Trexo Plus, the first robotic exoskeleton for pediatrics, she was able to walk as many as 1,000 steps on her own.

“While she was in the Trexo, Emily hung out in the atrium and walked over to the cafe where she would pick out a bag of chips with money that we had given her,” said Pineda. “She felt like a big girl, independent.”

Read the full story, including insights from Amanda Kleckner, PT, DPT, director of Pediatrics (subscription required).

In addition, Good Shepherd Pediatrics is looking for children with cerebral palsy to participate in a research study and benefit from therapy in the pint-size robotic device. Contact us for more information on the study.