| Paper title: |
THE IMPORTANCE OF AQUATIC THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF THE CEREBRAL PALSY IN PRESCHOOL AGE CHILDREN |
| DOI: | . |
| Published in: | Volume XI issue 2/ 2018 |
| Publishing date: | 2018 |
| Pages: | 12-23 |
| Author(s): |
Haidamac Ana |
| Abstract. | Cerebral palsy (CP) it is known as a condition that occurs in infants or in fetal development of encephalon. The main purpose in this study was to highlight the importance of aquatic therapy used as an alternative method or in parallel with neurological recovery programs at the gym. This alternative method of aquatic therapy has major benefits and may become a priority of all exercises, in very many cases, after a complex evaluation of children diagnosed with CP. The study was done on a group of six children diagnosed with CP and no surgery till the beginning of aquatic therapy, aged between 3 and 7 years, the period from October 2016 and until May 2018. It was observed an important improvement of the quality life and daily activities and the visible increase of the general symptoms of the children diagnosed with infantile CP. The aquatic therapy used methods of neuro-motor recovery treatments, individually and in groups and various interactive exercises of breathing, spinning of the body in water, flips underwater, all these improving balance, gait, stability, improve the awareness and abilities of the body, facilitating breathing, decrease of spasticity, and last but not least, the joy of immersion in the warm water have immediate effects in relaxation. The major objective of the study was to approach new methods of treatment in CP, accessible, which may contribute to improve the quality of life in daily activities, general relaxation and decreasing of spasticity that affect and limit so much the motricity of those children. Cerebral palsy (CP) defines a group of dysfunctions that result from prenatal or early life, and are non-progressive dysfunctions due to damage of motor areas in the brain that do not develop normally during fetal development or due to brain trauma either before, during or immediately after birth with irreparable damage and permanent sequelae. (1) The most affected are the boys, percentage being 1.5% comparing with girls, 1%. The type of spastic in CP is the most common, percentage being overwhelming, 70-80% of all cases (Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, N.d.a). The aim in this study is to highlight the importance of aquatic therapy used as an alternative or especially in parallel with neuro-motor recovery programs at the remedial gymnastics place. This alternative method of aquatic therapy has major benefits and may even become a priority in many cases, after a complex assessment of children diagnosed with CP. The main goal pursued by using this type of therapy is the relaxation of spastic muscles. Those contractures contribute to limiting the joint ROM (RANGE OF MOTION). The most commonly affected are hip flexors, external rotators and Achilles tendons in the lower limbs, and in the upper limbs the elbow extensors. The decrease of spasticity will contribute to joints health by warm water therapy followed by prolonged passive stretch and then more pressure can be applied at the end of the exercise in the ROM limit. |
| Keywords: | floating on water, hydrostatic pressure, viscosity, immersion, water temperature. |
| References: |
1. Bobath B, Postura y Movimiento del Nino con Paralisis Cerebral, 2. Bobath K., Base neurofisiologica para el tratamiento de la paralisis cerebral, 3. Căciulan E., Stanca D., Paralizie cerebrală infantilă, Evaluare şiKinetoterapie, Editura Moroşan, Bucureşti, 2007; 4. Levitt S., Treatment of Cerebral Palsy and Motor Delay, Publishing Blackwell; 5. Miller F., Pysical Therapy of Cerebral Palsy, Editura Springer, 2007. 6. Manole, V., Manole, L., - Evaluare motrică şi funcţională înkinetoterapie, Editura Pim, Iaşi, 2009; 7 Moţet, D., - Psihologia recuperării handicapurilor neuromotorii, Editura Fundaţiei Humanitas, Bucureşti, 2001; 8. Pastai, Z., - Kinetoterapia în neuropediatrie, Editura Arionda, 2004; 9. Robănescu, N., - Reeducare neuro- motorie, Editura Medicală, Bucureşti, 1968; |
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