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Gillette Children's president and CEO, Barbara Joers, cuts the ribbon at the opening of the expanded rehabilitation space in Maple Grove.
The newly expanded rehabilitation gym at Gillette Children’s Maple Grove Clinic is now home to the first ZeroG Gait and Balance System for pediatric use in Minnesota.
“Having the ZeroG for our patients really is a point of pride for Gillette,” says pediatric rehabilitation medicine physician, Angela Sinner, DO. “It’s an incredible opportunity for our patients to have access to robotic gait assistance.”
Listening to Gillette Children’s Families and Providing Support
Gillette Children’s president and CEO, Barbara Joers, says feedback from families and community members prompted Gillette to expand the rehabilitation space in Maple Grove. The clinic primarily serves families in the northern and western Twin Cities metro area.
“We really listen to our families and that helps us prioritize what is needed and how we can provide even more support and services. Our mission has always been to help each child reach their goals and their potential,” Joers says.
2,000 Square Feet of State-of-the-Art Pediatric Rehabilitation
Pediatric Rehabilitation Physician, Angela Sinner, DO, showcases the new ZeroG equipment during the opening of the Maple Grove Rehab Gym expansion.
The newly expanded rehab space is 2,000 square feet and includes state-of-the-art equipment to help children and teens recover from brain, bone, and musculoskeletal conditions. This equipment includes:
- ZeroG Gait and Balance System: This is a robotic body-weight support system that safely allows walking, balance and fall prevention training, and other activities of daily living. This is especially useful for children and teens diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP). The Gillette ZeroG has a 90-foot track in the ceiling that allows patients to crawl, stand, or walk with robotic assistance.
- Universal Exercise Unit (UEU): This equipment is also known as a “spider cage” because the three-sided cage allows the use of bungees, pulleys, and weights to support and strengthen individuals. It permits freedom of movement and assists in improving balance. Physical therapists say the children feel like Spiderman when using the equipment.
- Keiser Performance Trainer: This is a single-column air-resistance machine that uses pneumatic technology to provide smooth, consistent resistance for strength, power, and speed training. It can help patients regain strength and function in areas such as shoulders, hips, and ankles.
- Schroth Physical Therapy Room: Several Gillette physical therapists have advanced training in the Schroth Method, a non-surgical treatment method to help patients diagnosed with scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. This newly constructed room includes a ladder, resistance bands, weights, bars, and other equipment to help with this non-surgical, exercise-based treatment for scoliosis.
An expansion of rehabilitation services at Gillette Children’s
The expansion of the Maple Grove rehabilitation gym will give Gillette Children’s physical therapists more room to provide improved access to the following pediatric treatments:
- Pelvic Floor therapy
- Intensive physical therapy programs
- Multi-disciplinary feeding clinics
- Schroth therapy (PSSE)
- Multi-disciplinary Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) clinics
- Various physical therapy programs
Gillette Children's patient, John Buettner, is one of the first people to use the new ZeroG equipment.
Building Strength and Confidence
Gillette Children’s Director of Rehab Therapies, Perry Coma, is proud of the Maple Grove expansion and says the newly remodeled location offers outstanding rehabilitative technologies for children. “This state-of-the-art equipment will help build strength and confidence for so many children who come to us for rehabilitation therapy. It’s very exciting.”
