Sledding is an exciting winter activity for kids and parents alike. As you head out with your sled to enjoy the snow, take a helmet with you. Wearing a helmet could protect you from a nasty bump all the way up to a paralyzing traumatic brain injury.

Gillette Children’s has a comprehensive team of pediatric neurologists to help parents and guardians understand the common causes and signs of seizures in children. These Gillette specialists work with families and primary care providers to ensure children get an expert, first seizure evaluation and a treatment plan if it’s needed.

Brachial plexus is a network of nerves that begins at the spinal cord and delivers messages from the brain to the shoulder, arm and hand. Brachial plexus injuries happen whenever nerves get stretched or injured.

A tethered spinal cord occurs when the spinal cord is pulled down and is stuck or attached to the base of the spine’s surrounding tissue. This prevents the spinal cord from moving freely in the spinal canal as it normally would. If the spinal cord is tethered, it will stretch like a rubber band in response to the restriction. The pressure from this may cause pain and permanent damage to the spinal tissue and nerves if left untreated.

Concussions are one of the most common, unexpected injuries in both adults and children. While we usually think of athletes who are running around and occasionally into each other, the truth is it can happen to anyone.

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.

Wondering how to get a second opinion on your child’s recent diagnosis? Here’s how to make a second opinion request, where you can get access to a specialist's opinion quickly.

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.

A 2013 study by the American Journal of Sports Medicine determined that kids who play one sport for 8 or more months a year are almost three times more likely to experience an overuse injury. At Gillette Children’s, our providers, nurses and staff are here to help treat overuse injuries in children of all ages and backgrounds. 

An MRI uses magnets, invisible radio waves and computers to take detailed pictures of the inside of the body. In doing so, a provider can see bones, tendons, blood vessels, organs and soft tissues.

Music therapy helps manage pain, helps a child adjust to a hospital environment, provides positive emotional experiences, and promotes comfort and relaxation.

Going sledding is fun, but it can also be dangerous. Wearing a helmet makes it safer.

After enduring a ruptured aneurysm, doctors told Trevor's parents were told he'd never walk again. After a six-week rehabilitation stay at Gillette Children's, Trevor strode out of the hospital doors - walking independently.

Every now and again, I write a new letter to my son, Landon. It’s my testament to him. To who he was, to who he is, and to who he could someday be.