Sustainable functional improvements possible
One hour sessions of leg muscle strengthening and treadmill training 3 – 4 times a week for 6 weeks significantly improved mobility on multiple dimensions for a 10 year old boy with complicated HSP.
Improvements were maintained at 3, 6 and 12 month follow-ups.
Background: and Purpose: Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP) are a group of clinically diverse genetic disorders that share the neurologic symptom of difficulty in walking due to progressive serious muscle weakness and spasticity in the legs. This study describes a physiotherapy program for improving the functional ability of a child diagnosed with complicated HSP and reports the treatment results.
Methods: A 10-year-old boy with complicated HSP received a physiotherapy intervention that included strengthening of the leg muscles and treadmill training for 1 h per session, three to four times a week for 6 weeks. Outcome measures included sit-to-stand, 10-m walk, 1-min walk tests, and gross motor function measures (dimensions D and E).
Results: After the intervention, the sit-to-stand, 1-min walk, and 10-m walk test scores improved by 6.75 times, 2.57 m, and 0.05 m/s, respectively. Furthermore, the gross motor function measure dimensions D and E scores improved by 8% (46%-54%) and 5% (22%-27%), respectively. The gains in each parameter were maintained at the 3- and 6-month and 1-year follow-ups.
Conclusion: These results suggest that structured physiotherapy programs can benefit the functional rehabilitation of children with complicated HSP.
SOURCE: Physiother Res Int. 2023 Apr 14;e2006. doi: 10.1002/pri.2006. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37058697 © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Physiotherapy strategies for functional improvement in a child with complicated hereditary spastic paraplegia: 1-year follow-up of a case report using a changing criterion design
Ji-Young Choi 1 , Duck-Won Oh 2 , Sung-Min Son 2 , Chang-Ju Kim 2
1. Department of Physical Therapy, Dodam Development Center, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
2. Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health and Medical Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.