Therapy programme set up in Sheffield helping to change lives

ABR Therapy is a therapy programme that runs in Sheffield three times a year.

Advanced Biomechanical Rehabilitation is a home based and manual therapy for children with brain injuries and other physical disorders.

Anam Khan, director of ABR England, says that she discovered the life-changing therapy in Belgium and managed to bring it to Sheffield to provide therapy for children all around the UK.

“I had a relative who suffered from neurological issues and we searched the world for therapies. Most of these therapies were not effective long term and we were very much suffering,” she said.

“We managed to find a life changing therapy by a group of specialists in Belgium who are the most amazing team with unique qualities. The therapy itself was set up by a mother who had a similar journey and once she found the therapy, she dedicated her life to ensuring as many other children as possible benefitted from it too and now has satellites in 10 countries worldwide.

“The reason she has set up satellites is because it is extremely difficult for patients with disabilities to travel therefore, she brings she specialists to their countries.

“If we did not find ABR Therapy, he would never have made such fantastic improvements. I have now been able to set up the therapy in Sheffield and the programme runs three times a year.”

ABR approaches therapy different to anyone else and focuses on rebuilding the body architecture so that functional improvements such as head control, trunk control and sitting can develop spontaneously.

It is a home based therapy in which ABR trains parents and carers to conduct the programme in their own home. Each year, the patients are seen three times and given visual progress reports.

Amy Perryman and her son, Shayden, have used the therapy for eight months now and have seen rapid improvements.

Shayden was born at 31 weeks and has a severe brain injury. He has many problems such as cerebral palsy, VP shunt, visual impairment, epilepsy, weakened immune system and is gastrostomy fed.

Before they began using ABR therapy, Shayden lived in a lot of pain and the therapies and drugs he used were quite ineffective.

“I was just looking into things that I could actually do to help my son and I found ABR. Within the space of two months, Shayden was not in pain no more, he was more comfortable, his body was changing – he was just a lot happier,” his mum said.

“Now he is a lot happier because he is free in his body. It is crazy how such a gentle therapy, and the things that I do on him is just gentle pressure, can make such a big impact to an overall body.

“It has changed his quality of life, his quality of life was small before, he didn’t have much going for him other than the love I gave him, but now his life is just starting to open up for him.”

The programme is next running in Sheffield in March 2022.