The effectiveness of correction of the postural problems in the patients presenting with juvenile cerebral palsy

Abstract

We have studied stabilographic characteristics and their dynamics in the healthy children (n=30) and the patients suffering from juvenile cerebral palsy (JCP) in the form of spastic diplegia (n=99) after they had undergone the combined rehabilitation treatment with the use of various methods of electrical stimulation. The mean age of the children was 7.0±1.7 years. The patients with JCP included in the main group (n=45) received therapy with the application of electrical stimulation based on the AKorD apparatus while the patients with JCP comprising the group of comparison were treated with the use of the Mioritm 040 apparatus. Vertical stability of the schoolchildren was evaluated using the Stabilan-01-2 hardware system, once in the healthy children and twice (before and after the termination of rehabilitation) in the patients with JCP. A course of the rehabilitative treatment of the patients with JCP included in the main group resulted in a 24.6% and 15.8% reduction (p<0.05) of the statokinesiogram area in the tests with the open and closed eyes respectively. The visual control coefficient increased significantly. The patients of the comparison group experienced a marked reduction of the area of statokinesiogram in the tests with the open eyes (by 15,5% (р<0,05)) while the remaining characteristics of interest remained unaltered. It is concluded that the treatment of the children presenting with juvenile cerebral palsy with the use of the AKorD apparatus for electrical stimulation is more efficient for the maintenance of the vertical posture in comparison with the treatment based on the use of the Mioritm 040 apparatus.