Assorted ways for gait rehabilitation for a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and the commonest type of motor neuron disease (MND). It demonstrates symptoms of both the upper motor neuron (UMN) lesion and the lower motor neuron (LMN) lesion. In this case report, we present a case of a patient with ALS who had slight increased muscle tone, weakness in bilateral lower extremity muscles, and most predominantly a disturbed gait pattern. The patient's expectations from physiotherapy were to gain back a near-normal gait pattern, hence, an appropriate management protocol was made for him while using conventional treatment such as strengthening, PNF, rood's technique etc. as well as advanced techniques such as functional electrical stimulation (FES) with treadmill training, aquatic gait training and vestibular sensory training to attain the patient and therapist's goals. Outcome measures used were Berg balance scale, dynamic gait index and functional independence measure at the beginning and end of the 7 weeks of rehabilitation. To conclude, we are positive that both conventional and advanced physiotherapy techniques have contributed in improving the gait pattern and parameters of a patient suffering from ALS.