Seven-year-old Leona. Always smiling. Loved. Persistent. This is her story that gives HOPE to people… Brushing teeth. Combing hair. Doing an independent step. Going to kindergarten. Going to school. Things that people consider being a normal day-to-day activity, to Leona it represents a goal that she is trying to achieve for years. A mutual underdevelopment of brain neurons, pachygyria, polymicrogyria, dysarthria…this is how Leona’s diagnosis sounds like. This made many obstacles in the life of this little girl, but she has managed to overcame them successfully thanks to GLARTH METHOD of treatment and to the team of the Glavić Polyclinic. Mum Vrtjel didn’t accept the negative prognosis and has contacted with TRUST the Glavić Polyclinic team.
Little Leona came to the Glavić Polyclinic in Dubrovnik for the first time in June 2017. Back then her possibilities were minimal; she could only make three dependent moves, while the only communication she could have was with her mum on a sign language. Thanks to persistent exercising for several hours a day, her progress was extremely advanced already in the 8th week of the ROBOTIC neurorehabilitation in the Glavić Polyclinic. Moreover, till the end of her therapy Leona was walking in series from 10 to 15 independent steps and started to do some day-to-day activities independently, which was for her and for her brave mum till then an impossible goal.
The next cycle she had in the Glavić Polyclinic in Zagreb was during October, November and December, where she continued to achieve her fast progress. Leona’s walk was progressing in series from more than 50 steps. She has become much more stable, firmer in her trunk, more confident. After that there was another cycle on spring during March, April and May, where she managed to do up to 100 independent steps and got completely free from the help of other people and devices.
PERSISTENT girl Leona got to love the device LOKOMAT and accepted that THIS SAME DEVICE one day is going to make her independent life possible. Leona is a special girl. While other kids spend their days in parks, Leona has accepted her reality and has gathered perseverance in order to one day be able to become an independent woman. Her therapies last six days, five to six hours a day on more than 10 robotic devices for the rehabilitation of the whole body with the following conventional and occupational therapy. The team of the Glavić Polyclinic, that at the moment has more than hundred experts, has become an important part of her life, it has become her family, her motivation. It was thanks to the expert knowledge and sophisticated robotic devices that Leona started to move the boundaries of the possible every day and to break all the expectations. Leona has made such a great progress that, between the therapies, she can now successfully attend kindergarten together with her assistant.
What is GLARTH METHOD and what is the effect of the ROBOTICS during the rehabilitation?
GLARTH method was created with the help of all doctors and physiotherapists of Glavić Polyclinic. All of them contributed with their longterm professional knowledge and experience gained as well through different additional specializations achieved during courses and seminars. Of course robotics played a crucial role in the creation of the GLARTH method, as considered the most innovative approach when treating patients. Nevertheless, one cannot also forget a strong will and passion of Glavić Polyclinic to move boundaries of possible together with it’s patients. Why robotics? When, for example, only classical physical therapy is being done, and the same gets interrupted, the body starts to neglect itself and the extremity comes back almost to the beginning of the problem. On the other hand, when doing the neurorehabilitation with the help of robotics, because of the neuroplasticity of the brain, there is no coming back, but the functions that came back stay like that. This is due not working on the periphery, on the extremity, but rather on the brain. Thanks to the GLARTH method, Leona is now like her peers.
She started going to the kindergarten! Leona enjoys her FREEDOM.
Today our Leona speaks in sentences, has a great communication, is cheerful, happy and always smileing.
Her gait is much better that we don’t even count the steps anymore. Leona has accomplished her goal and continues to make progress every day thanks to the robotic neurorehabilitation with GLARTH method!
