"Little Me" review丨Seeing a different world through Yi Yang Qianxi: How cerebral palsy patients regain their life with the help of assistive devices

In the movie "Little Me", Yi Yang Qianxi plays Liu Chunhe, a cerebral palsy patient. With his realistic and profound performance, he allows us to see the life difficulties and emotional needs of cerebral palsy patients.

The film tells the story of Liu Chunhe, who suffers from cerebral palsy, who strives to help his grandmother realize her dream of a stage performance while also trying to mend his relationship with his mother and seek the direction and coordinates of his own life.

After watching this movie, we can't help but sigh: If everyone can realize the plight of special groups such as children with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome, and be more tolerant and understanding of them, then thousands of "Liu Chunhe" in the world will start a new life .

However, in real life, when many people see special people, they may be like the passers-by in the film, always subconsciously speculating: What's wrong with him? Is he a fool?

Image source | Trailer for "Little Me"

In fact, cerebral palsy mainly affects motor control ability and has no direct correlation with intelligence level. In recent years, with the attention of the media and the emergence of public figures such as talk show actor Xiaojia, the public has gradually begun to realize the fact that "cerebral palsy ≠ stupidity", but the understanding of the patients' lives is still limited.

What is cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy (CP) refers to a group of persistent central motor development disorders, abnormal posture development, and activity restriction syndromes caused by non-progressive damage to the developing brain during the fetal or infant period. In China, CP is the most common disease causing childhood disability after poliomyelitis was controlled.

Stumbling blocks in the growth of children with cerebral palsy

(1) Limited functionality

In the movie, the character played by Yi Yang Qianxi shows symptoms such as incoordination, muscle weakness and even spasms in limb movements, which also shows that children with cerebral palsy have poor mobility, making it extremely difficult for them to complete simple movements such as walking and grasping.

Image source | Trailer for "Little Me"

In life, this will seriously affect their learning ability and ability to take care of themselves in daily life . Basic life activities such as dressing, washing, and eating may require assistance from others, which greatly limits their independence and autonomy.

(2) Speech disorders

Many children with cerebral palsy have delayed language development or difficulty expressing themselves . Some of them may not be able to pronounce clearly, or speak incoherently or unclearly, making it difficult for them to accurately express their thoughts, feelings, and needs.

Therefore, there are huge obstacles in communicating with others in social situations, and it is easy to be misunderstood or ignored, which leads to loneliness and frustration.

Image source | Trailer for "Little Me"

Their rich inner world of emotions and thoughts are trapped in their own bodies and cannot be smoothly conveyed to the outside world, making it out of reach to establish friendships and integrate into collective life.

(3) Discrimination and misunderstanding

Many people lack knowledge about cerebral palsy and often look at children with cerebral palsy with pity, disgust, or even fear. They regard them as "special" and "strange" and are unwilling to contact or interact with them.

Image source | Trailer for "Little Me"

These discriminations and misunderstandings not only hurt children's self-esteem, but also deprive them of their right to equal development opportunities, further pushing them to the margins of society and hindering their physical and mental growth and socialization process.

(4) Dilemma of self-cognition

Children with cerebral palsy often suffer tremendous psychological pressure during their growth due to their physical defects and negative feedback from the outside world. They may feel inferior, have self-denial, and question their own value and ability.

Image source | Trailer for "Little Me"

What is shown in the movie is only part of the story. In fact, children with cerebral palsy face more challenges in life, including the gaze of the outside world, difficulty finding employment, complex family relationships, and emotional problems.

However, facing these challenges, cerebral palsy patients are not alone . With the advancement of medicine and the improvement of social awareness, rehabilitation therapy, rehabilitation engineering and surgical treatment have provided new hope and possibilities for children with cerebral palsy.

Stepping stones for children with cerebral palsy

(1) Rehabilitation treatment

After entering the 21st century, people have increasingly realized the importance of rehabilitation treatment for cerebral palsy. The ultimate goal of rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy is to enable them to return to society and enjoy life. In the movie, Liu Chunhe goes to the hospital for rehabilitation treatment every once in a while, and he also makes friends here.

The Sichuan Bayi Rehabilitation Center is one of the filming locations for the movie. "In the movie, we saw the children's sports therapy hall where we work every day. The lower limb rehabilitation robot training, slow rehabilitation treadmill training, upper limb passive stretching training , and even up and down stairs training, these daily scenes are very familiar." Kang Xiaodong, director of the Children's Rehabilitation Department of the Sichuan Bayi Rehabilitation Center, said excitedly, "The rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy has finally come to the fore, allowing more people to understand it."

(2) Rehabilitation Engineering

Rehabilitation engineering plays an irreplaceable and important role in rehabilitation medicine. It is even the only means for the rehabilitation of people with permanent functional disabilities. Choosing appropriate rehabilitation assistive devices before surgery can greatly improve the limb dysfunction of cerebral palsy patients and facilitate surgery. In the movie, Liu Chunhe used a variety of rehabilitation assistive devices to help him with daily activities and rehabilitation training. For example:

Ankle-foot orthotics, corrective shoes⬇️

Knee-ankle-foot orthosis⬇️

Inclined board standing rack⬇️

Standing assist belt ⬇️

etc.....

(3) Surgical treatment

In the movie, Liu Chunhe's condition is consistent with the characteristics of spastic cerebral palsy . Currently, one of the clinically recognized surgical treatments for relieving lower limb spasticity in patients with spastic cerebral palsy is SDR surgery (full name: "selective dorsal rhizotomy").

This surgery can safely and effectively reduce the abnormally increased muscle tone of patients with spastic cerebral palsy and relieve their lower limb spasticity by partially disconnecting the nerves that induce increased muscle tone in the lower limbs, thereby improving abnormal gait, correcting limb deformities, and improving patients' motor function and quality of life.

(4) Psychotherapy

The mental health of children with cerebral palsy should not be ignored. They may feel anxious and depressed due to physical limitations and social barriers.

Liu Chunhe in the movie has a cat that he has raised for five years. The cat's existence provides him with endless comfort and companionship. "Animal-assisted intervention" is also a form of psychological intervention, that is, a professional service that uses positive interactions between animals and people to achieve intervention effects.

Our team has rich clinical experience and professional medical knowledge. We have customized rehabilitation treatment plans for thousands of children with cerebral palsy. We are committed to providing comprehensive and personalized rehabilitation services for children with cerebral palsy and can formulate scientific and reasonable rehabilitation plans based on the specific conditions of each child. In order to provide the most accurate diagnosis and the best treatment plan, our team's gait analysis laboratory is equipped with the most advanced lower limb biomechanical analysis equipment.

①Mirror pressure test equipment: Mirror pressure test uses the principle of mirror reflection to intuitively observe the plantar pressure, arch type and biomechanical line of the lower limbs.

② Plantar scanning test equipment: Through 3D technology and white light mode projection, a 3D CAD model of the foot can be obtained through reverse engineering processing, which can accurately evaluate the abnormal conditions of the patient's lower limbs and obtain various foot data, such as foot shape, arch index, degree of inversion and valgus, etc.

③ Portable gait analysis equipment: Patients wear insoles equipped with sensors to perform a one-minute walking test, which can not only obtain the spatiotemporal and phase parameters of their walking process , but also obtain dynamic parameters , providing an objective and quantitative scientific basis, reducing the demand for space and manpower, and making gait assessment more efficient.

Through these advanced equipment, our team can provide the most accurate diagnosis and the most appropriate treatment plan for every child with cerebral palsy, helping them recover their health as soon as possible and improve their quality of life.

Since the conditions of cerebral palsy patients are relatively complex and the severity varies, their rehabilitation is also a gradual process that requires multidisciplinary and multi-professional collaboration. Our team has worked with multiple hospitals, several doctors and rehabilitation therapists to develop a personalized full-cycle rehabilitation strategy:

Preoperative

Due to the differences and particularities of the medical histories of different patients, a comprehensive and systematic examination is required to determine whether they meet the surgical conditions based on indications and contraindications. If they do, they need to be hospitalized for rehabilitation, using rehabilitation therapy and rehabilitation engineering technology to create good conditions for surgery.

1 to 2 weeks after surgery

The main purpose after surgery is to promote surgical wound healing and normal nerve repair . Patients need to rest in bed for two weeks in a supine position, actively cooperate with postoperative rehabilitation work, perform necessary rehabilitation training activities at the bedside, and use a variety of rehabilitation aids to avoid wound strain, restore limb sensation, improve joint mobility, enhance key muscle strength, improve posture control ability, and assist in the transfer of daily life.

1 to 2 weeks after surgery

The purpose of SDR surgery is to relieve spasms , but there are still conditions such as limited joint mobility, poor control ability, abnormal posture and abnormal gait after the operation. Therefore, scientific and effective rehabilitation is still needed, and rehabilitation aids should be used in time to maintain the therapeutic effect of the surgery and prevent muscle tension rebound.

Postoperative rehabilitation is a persistent process. After surgery, the spastic state can be relieved, but the existing joint restrictions, contracture deformities and other problems still need to rely on rehabilitation training and rehabilitation aids to ensure the rehabilitation effect . In addition, home rehabilitation exercises and regular checkups should be carried out in time after surgery to adjust the rehabilitation plan in time.

There are 6 million cerebral palsy patients in China, and this number is increasing by 20,000 to 30,000 per year. The discrimination they face is prevalent in every aspect of life. But for a long time, these cerebral palsy patients have not been seen . On the contrary, this word appears most often on the Internet as a word used to attack each other.

Through this film, we are encouraged to re-recognize and understand the cerebral palsy group, recognize their lives, emotions and contributions to society, and promote society's acceptance and support for this group. It allows us to see that every "little me" has its unique value and meaning, and deserves to be seen and respected.

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