Fitness, flexibility and strength maintained
A program of two 20 minute sessions per week of simple, home-based exercises and movements was found to be sufficient to maintain fitness, flexibility and strength and avoid any decline in the ability to perform activities of daily living.
Purpose
Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive spasticity and weakness of the lower limbs. To date, the appropriate frequency and intensity of physical therapy for patients with HSP are not well-known.
We created an original rehabilitation program for a patient with a complicated form of HSP, wherein the program required low-frequency involvement to adapt to the long-term insurance system in Japan. We wanted to find out whether this program could maintain the physical functions and activities of daily living (ADL) of the patient.
Participant and Methods
A 41-year-old male diagnosed with a complicated form of HSP with decreased visual acuity and ataxia of the trunk and upper limb underwent a specific rehabilitation program that included a squatting exercise, a kneeling position exercise, and a motion exercise of taking a bath. This intervention program lasted for 20 minutes per session, with a frequency of two days per week. The patient was in the program for 12 weeks.
Results
All outcome measures, including muscle strength (grip force and quadriceps) and Barthel index, remained unchanged at the end of the intervention program.
Conclusion
The original intervention program used in this study, which had a low frequency of exercise, was effective in preventing further regression of the lower limb function of the patient with a complicated form of HSP, and in preventing a decrease in the ability of the patient to perform ADL.
SOURCE: J Phys Ther Sci. 2019 Jul;31(7):545-549. doi: 10.1589/jpts.31.545. Epub 2019 Jul 2. PMID: 31417219
Physical therapy intervention with a low frequency of exercise for a patient with a complicated form of hereditary spastic paraplegia: a case report.
Sato M1,2, Kannari K1, Tomari M2, Kawaguchi T1.
1 Aomori University of Health and Welfare Graduate School of Health Science: 58-1 Mase, Hamadate, Aomori-city, Aomori 030-8505, Japan.
2 Department of Rehabilitation, Aomori Nursing Life, Japan.