Some cerebral palsy patients are now improving their abilities to swallow through an unconventional treatment method.
The Vital Stim treatment method used primarily in assisting stroke victims with swallowing appears to help cerebral palsy patients with their abilities to speak and swallow. Using the Vital Stim method, a speech language pathologist used neuromuscular electrical stimulation along one child's throat and face. This noninvasive treatment is used for stimulation of the nerves along these parts of the body and to trigger muscles that are used when swallowing to help cerebral palsy victims with these body functions. On one reported patient, the pathologist uses the Vital Stim three times a week for as long as an hour. The pathologist reports that the stimulation appears to improve the patient's muscle tone and his speaking ability.
When Vital Stim treatments are conducted, a small electrical current is sent through the patient's nerves and muscles noninvasively.
