Neurological disorders: How we can manage them together

Cerebral palsy is caused by early childhood brain damage that occurs for a variety of reasons. The lifelong mobility limitations associated with cerebral palsy are wide-ranging and depend on the area of the brain that is damaged. In many cases, high muscle tension and pain limit mobility. An individual’s gait or coordination of movement can also sometimes be affected.

Injuries to the nerves of the spinal cord can often leave the arms and legs paralyzed and other body functions impaired. Paraplegia can be the result of an accident, but it can also be caused by a disease such as multiple sclerosis. In some cases, affected individuals can no longer move or feel their limbs at all, although sometimes residual function may remain.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease in which the sheathing of the nerves in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. The course the disease takes varies greatly. In the later stages, it can often be accompanied by muscle paralysis and associated painful cramping. In addition, there are sometimes problems with balance. In some cases, patients find it difficult to walk and are dependent on orthoses or a wheelchair.

A stroke can occur when a blood clot blocks the flow of oxygen to the brain. This can lead to brain damage that is often accompanied by lifelong neurological disorders. For those affected, this can mean weakening or a paralysis of a leg, arm or half of the body. Walking becomes more difficult due to impaired body sensation or reduced balance, which is why problems with gait stability can occur. Swallowing and speech can also be affected, as can thinking and memory.

In polio, also known as infantile paralysis, a certain type of polio virus can cause paralysis of the limbs. In some cases, perhaps years or even decades after the infection, it also results in what is known as post-polio syndrome: here, paralysis can worsen and muscles lose strength, making it harder for many affected individuals to walk.

Physicist Beatrix was run over by a concrete mixer when she was 13. She spent almost 15 years in a wheelchair due to incomplete paraplegia, but today she can walk again. Now she often leaves the wheelchair behind. She has achieved this through her strong willpower and with the help of the electromagnetic orthotic E-MAG Active + Nexgear Tango.

Louisa is in her late 20s and has multiple sclerosis. For many years a wheelchair was necessary for her everyday life. Thanks to the spasticity-reducing and muscle-activating Exopulse Mollii Suit, Louisa can move freely again and do just whatever she feels like.

IT administrator Melvin enjoys taking short bike rides and has both feet firmly on the ground – despite his left leg being paralyzed since early childhood due to a polio infection. His C-Brace makes everyday walking easier, allowing him to do things that would otherwise not be possible.

A sports accident destroyed Irmgard's dream of the Olympics. The "Silver Queen" of the Paralympics of Rio and Tokyo today faces the challenge of dropfoot in everyday life with the dynamic carbon ankle-foot-orthosis WalkOn Lateral.