Health: Oxygen therapy helps kids with cerebral palsy

Most kids have to learn to crawl before they can walk, but for 6-year-old Catherine Butler of Chandler, Ariz., who has cerebral palsy, crawling wasn’t that simple.

But it just got a bit easier.

“Before she started this treatment, she didn’t have the left-right rotation when she crawled like she has now,” said Erica Butler as her daughter scampered across the floor in pursuit of a ball. “Now, her hands are loose and her body is loose, so she’s able to do more for herself. That makes it so much easier to teach her new things.”

What brought about the physical changes in Catherine, her mother said, has been hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which involves the breathing of pure oxygen under increased atmospheric pressure during 60- to 90-minute sessions. The oxygen saturation promotes the body’s immune and healing responses to renew tissue and heal more rapidly.

Many children with cerebral palsy show improvement in speech, reduced spasticity, and better vision and hearing after having the treatment, said Greg Mann, director of hyperbaric therapy at Spire Institute in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“Hyperbarics helps lay a foundation for physical improvement in children who have cerebral palsy because it allows physical and occupational therapists to do more effective work,” Mann said. “Because the child’s range of motion has improved so dramatically, they are better able to handle physical therapy and improve more rapidly.”

While her daughter’s physical progress has pleased Butler, Catherine’s improved emotional state is what really thrills the mother of three.

“Because the therapy has allowed her to do more, she feels much better about herself and she’s happier,” Butler said. “Plus, she doesn’t have a normal lung capacity, so the pure oxygen has raised her energy level, which is a very positive thing.”

The long-term benefits of hyperbaric therapy for children with cerebral palsy are still unknown, according to Angie Ghrist, a spokeswoman for United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona and the mother of an 11-year-old son with cerebral palsy.

“There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that points to improvements and by no means could it ever be harmful,” Ghrist said. “But there aren’t any studies that have proven definitively that hyperbaric therapy creates long-term effects.”

Children with cerebral palsy are prescribed hyperbaric therapy in 40-session blocks — two sessions a day for four weeks — at a cost of $150 per session, which many insurance companies don’t cover.

“That’s one of the toughest aspects of it for me as a mother,” Ghrist said. “Do I want to own a home or risk $30,000 or $40,000 on something that may or may not work? So many parents are hoping for that quick-fix remedy, but there’s no proof yet that this is it. There are still more questions than answers.”

A controlled clinical trial of hyperbaric therapy used to treat children with cerebral palsy that was done by a research group at Canada’s McGill University supports Ghrist’s concerns. More than 100 children were evaluated, half receiving hyperbaric oxygen and the other half receiving regular air under the same conditions. The results, presented in September, showed no difference between the groups.

“I know how it is to be a parent who is looking for that magic cure and willing to do anything to help your child,” Ghrist said. “The early research doesn’t mean that hyperbaric therapy doesn’t work. It’s just that we don’t have acceptable evidence yet.”

But Butler said she is pleased with the gains Catherine has made since undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

“I haven’t seen anything huge in terms of day-to-day, but there have been significant changes over the four weeks that her physical therapist is thrilled with,” Butler said. “ The best thing is that it’s given Catherine something to build on, and we can focus now on building muscle. It’s not like she’s been able to throw the walker away, but she has gained confidence and independence. And that’s wonderful to see.”