Sakina Valika, PT, DPT, NCS and Co-Director of TRYAbility Rehab, will speak at the next meeting of the North Suburban Chicago Support Group. This meeting will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 14, 2019, at the Deerfield Public Library.

The meeting is free and open to those with rare neuroimmune disorders including transverse myelitis (TM), acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), optic neuritis (ON), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), and MOG Antibody Disease (MOGAD); their families and friends.

Sakina is a licensed physical therapist and board-certified Neuro Clinical Specialist. She has a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Northern Illinois University, and her postgraduate training includes a clinical doctorate in physical therapy with a focus on neuro-rehabilitation obtained in 2007 from Rosalind Franklin University. She holds advanced certifications in locomotor training, functional electrical stimulation, whole body vibration and aquatic rehabilitation. She sub-specializes in treating individuals with traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injuries with a focus on activity based therapies to maximize neuroplasticity and neuromuscular recovery.

She has certifications in gait training individuals with quadriplegia and paraplegia with the ReWalk and the Indego exoskeleton. Sakina is also a Certified Clinical Instructor Affiliate (CCCE/CI) through the American Physical Therapy Association. She was an educator for the Wayne State University Physical Therapy doctoral program in Detroit, Michigan, as well as other universities that have Physical Therapy Assistant programs in Illinois.

Sakina’s clinical expertise lies in using a combination of novel approaches to maximize neuromuscular recovery in individuals suffering from paralysis due to various neurological conditions. She has presented seminars and CEU courses in Activity Based Rehabilitation and the NRS scale because of her unique expertise in this area. She draws upon current research, to incorporate scientifically validated methods into her daily practice.

During her years of clinical practice, Sakina has treated individuals with traumatic brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, inflammatory neuropathies, neuromuscular scoliosis, and more.

For more information about the meeting, contact Nancy Dove, Illinois Support Group Leader for SRNA, [email protected].