Whether your child is recovering from a spinal cord injury or they have just had spinal surgery, rehabilitation is key. What many families may not realize is that there are many forms of spinal cord rehabilitation. One that is often forgotten is occupational therapy.

When you come to Gillette Children’s you’ll collaborate with one of the nation’s top providers of pediatric inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation therapies. Gillette Children’s has occupational therapists throughout the Twin Cities metro area in our St. Paul, Phalen, Burnsville and Maple Grove clinic locations. Gillette also provides access, if appropriate, to children throughout the region through virtual appointments.

April is Occupational Therapy (OT) month and Gillette is highlighting the amazing work our OT team does every day to help our patients increase their independence with daily activities. Gillette is one of the only pediatric health care centers to have an ArmeoSpring machine. Our occupational therapists use this robotic exoskeleton to assist patients who are building strength as the result of trauma, cerebral palsy, neuromuscular conditions or stroke.

Caleb Binkert wrapped up a preholiday evening shift as a cashier at a Target in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota on November 6, 2020. He put on his bike helmet, his reflective clothing and started biking home around 9:30pm. Caleb, 17, does not remember anything from that day as he rode through a crosswalk to continue his journey home. In an instant his life changed.

Communication is important to a good overall quality of life. The team approach to care at Gillette Children's means an occupational therapist, a speech language pathologist and experts in orthotics, prosthetics and seating (OPS) work with families to help children communicate and socialize. When 6-year-old Maya was diagnosed with INAD, a rare, genetic disorder, her parents and a team of Gillette experts helped Maya find her voice.