Background: Proper wheelchair seating is a necessity for users to prevent secondary physical complications and maintain health and function. If not properly maintained through pharmacological or conservative treatment, spastic cerebral palsy (CP), and the tone associated with it, can cause abnormal wheelchair positioning. While many long duration treatment options exist to improve range of motion in the CP population, little evidence is available regarding short-term, effective treatment. Thus, the purpose of this case report is to describe a short duration intervention to reduce spasticity and increase hip flexion in a non-ambulatory individual with a neurological condition to ultimately improve wheelchair seating. Case Description: 29-year-old female born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy residing at a long-term care facility. The subject’s extensive hip extensor spasticity was causing her wheelchair seatbelt to break. Overall, this wheelchair positioning placed her at risk of falls and secondary complications. Intervention: Subject A was seen once a day for 4 days in a row. Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) was applied to the hip flexor musculature bilaterally for 15 minutes. The subject received stretching to the hip extensors for 5 minutes on each side during NMES. Lastly, the individual rode an adaptive tricycle for 15 minutes. Outcome Measures: The outcome measures used were range of motion (ROM) with a goniometer and the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). Discussion: This case report supports the use of NMES combined with stretching and biking to decrease spasticity in a short amount of time and improve wheelchair positioning.
Dissertation
Use of NMES and Stretching to Improve Spasticity and Range of Motion in Cerebral Palsy: A Case Report
University of Iowa
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) , University of Iowa
Summer 2020
Free to read and download, Open Access
Abstract
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Use of NMES and Stretching to Improve Spasticity and Range of Motion in Cerebral Palsy: A Case Report
- Creators
- Allyson Merfeld - University of Iowa
- Contributors
- Laura Frey Law (Advisor)Michael Petrie (Advisor)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Project Type
- Case Report
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) , University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science
- Date degree season
- Summer 2020
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- 8 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2020 Allyson Merfeld
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Doctor of Physical Therapy Case Reports
- Record Identifier
- 9984201418002771
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