Here are some lines from around the TheraTogs website:
For patients with biomechanical or neuromotor issues
TheraTogs work by allowing the clinician to set the patient’s body in proper functional alignment, and letting them re-train their body through the ‘practice’ of daily activities. By applying prolonged, gentle forces during activity, TheraTogs can actually change the muscle and connective tissue – and for infants and young children, bone and joint development as well – in favor of better function and better alignment.
For patients with sensory and sensorimotor issues
TheraTogs work by applying consistent, gentle compression and proprioceptive input across the entire trunk, and by offering stability and support in a dynamic system that moves with the patient.
For sensory
integration/sensory processing applications...A snugly-fit
TheraTogs system provides the wearer with gentle, consistent proprioceptive and
deep pressure input - a 'wearable hug' worn discreetly under clothing.
Here's there prochure with some more great bullet-points and information about TheraTogs for children http://theratogs.com/Doc/pdfs/TheraTogs_Corporate_Brochure.pdf
In a nutshell, for Bug, Theratogs are meant to help support her low muscle tone because they wrap around tightly and hold her snug and give her deep input. Like it says above, they provide a wearable hug. They release the same feel-good hormones as a long hug or petting an animal which helps with her sensory issues.
She wears them every day, all day, and takes them off for sleeping. They are hand-washable, and I wash them about every other day. They stretch out but after washing them they form back to their shape.
These are all the pieces that wrap around her to form the TheraTogs
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| This is how they go together - it's a puzzle |
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| The inside, that touches her skin, is like a soft leathery foam |
This is what the basic suit looks like:
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| The white tabs are plastic and have velcro-like teeth on one side that adhere to the gold fabric |
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| Here they are under her clothes |
And then we've added this back strap which helps tremendously with her back arching:
And we just recently added these 3 straps across the belly, one straight across and the other 2 form an "x" across her tummy. These are supposed to help her stay forward in the sitting position but I haven't seen much difference between adding the back strap and then adding these.
At first, when it was just the suit, I didn't think these would be something we would need to stick with for long because we weren't seeing effects but after adding the strappings we can all tell that they help!
This is something new I'll be including at the end of each blog, Rayleigh's Stats:
Medicine: Ketogenic Diet, 4:1 ratio; Clobazam, 1 10mg pill 3 times a day; Vimpat, 50mg pill 1 in morning & 1 1/2 at night; Lamictal, 1 5mg pill twice a day.
Seizure Control: This week she has only been having 1-2 seizures a day. They are lasting about 10-25 seconds. She locks up, labored breathing, eyes look left and then she relaxes and breaths normal and goes back to sleep - they have all been during sleep as of this week.
