ABSTRACT
As infancy is characterized by rapid physical growth and critical periods of development, disruptions due to illness or disease reveal vulnerability associated with this period. Spinal cord injury (SCI) has devastating consequences at any age, but its onset neonatally, at birth, or within the first year of life multiplies its impact. The immediate physical and physiological consequences are obvious and immense, but the effects on the typical trajectory of development are profound. Activity-based restorative therapies (ABRT) capitalize on activity-dependent plasticity of the neuromuscular system below the lesion and when provided to children with SCI aim to improve the child's neuromuscular capacity, health and quality of life. This is a report of an infant with a cervical SCI at birth resulting in paralysis of leg and trunk muscles and paresis of arm and hands who was enrolled in an ABRT program at 3 years of age. After 59 sessions of ABRT, the child demonstrated significant improvements in trunk control and arm function, as well as social and emotional development. Despite the chronicity of injury and low expectations for improvement with therapeutic interventions, ABRT had a positive impact on the child's physical capacity and provided benefits across multiple developmental domains.
ABSTRACT
Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) in infancy halts typical development secondary to paralysis/paresis and the limited ability to engage with the environment. Traditional therapies further restrict a child via bracing, equipment, and medications. In contrast, activity-based restorative therapies (ABRT) promote activation of the neuromuscular system below the level of injury and affords a more typical sensorimotor experience. Case Description: A premature male infant exhibiting hypotonia, poor head control, and extremity weakness was diagnosed at age 5 months with a remote incomplete upper cervical SCI based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), presumed to have occurred perinatally. From 4 to 15 months of age, he received physical, occupational and speech therapies. Enrolled in an ABRT program at 15 months, he was unable to sit, pull-to-stand, stand, or walk and had upper extremity impairments. Results of the Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development revealed gross and fine motor scores consistent with a 4-month-old. Methods: Activity-based restorative therapies was provided 5 day/week: 1.5 h of activity-based locomotor training and 1 h of activity-based occupational therapy. Results: Activity-based restorative therapies are reported for 177 sessions and are on-going. Improvements are noted in trunk control, standing, walking, grasp, in-hand manipulation, and associated kinematics. Bayley-III fine motor score improved to that of a 16-month-old and gross motor score to that of a 7-month-old. Discussion: While the two treatment periods (i.e., 4-15 months old and 15-24 months) were each â¼9 months, the child's accelerated progress toward typical development during the latter, ABRT period is noteworthy. In comparison to the period of traditional therapies in which paralysis was compounded by a restrictive environment and compensation, ABRT provided a potentially rich sensorimotor experience with an emphasis on active weight-bearing and proper kinematics to activate the neuromuscular system below the lesion in an age-appropriate, task-specific context of activities. Improved physical capacity enabled exploration more typically associated with development at this age expanding the positive impact to other developmental domains.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Activity-based therapies (ABTs) focus on activating the neuromuscular system below the level of spinal cord injury (SCI) promoting neuromuscular capacity. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 2 year 7 month old with history of prematurity at 29 weeks, neonatal epidural abscess, resultant cervical SCI, respiratory failure, and global developmental delays presented for enrollment in an outpatient activity-based therapy program. Upon presentation to this program, he required nighttime mechanical ventilation via tracheostomy and daytime suctioning. He could not perform any age-appropriate activities and was described by his mother as 'present', neither engaged nor attentive. During and after 7 months of participation in ABTs including locomotor training and neuromuscular electrical stimulation, the patient demonstrated unexpected changes in his respiratory status leading to ventilator weaning with concomitant improvements in head and trunk control, participation, development, and quality of life. DISCUSSION: ABT was not only safe for a medically complex child, but also this intervention had a remarkable effect on unresolved respiratory capacity and a more widespread impact on other functions as well as development. A child with a chronic, severe SCI demonstrated positive and impactful improvements in health, functional status, and quality of life during an episode of ABT.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Spinal cord injury (SCI) in infancy magnifies the complexity of a devastating diagnosis. Children injured so young have high incidences of scoliosis, hip dysplasia, and respiratory complications leading to poor health and outcomes. We report the medical history, progression of rehabilitation, usual care and activity-based therapy, and outcomes for a child injured in infancy. Activity-based therapy (ABT) aims to activate the neuromuscular system above and below the lesion through daily, task-specific training to improve the neuromuscular capacity, and outcomes for children with acquired SCI. CASE PRESENTATION: A 3-month-old infant suffered a cervical SCI from a surgical complication with resultant tetraplegia. Until age 3, her medical complications included scoliosis, kyphosis, and pneumonia. Even with extensive physical and occupational therapy, she was fully dependent on caregivers for mobility and unable to roll, come to sit, sit, stand or walk. She initiated ABT at ~3 years old, participating for 8 months. The child's overall neuromuscular capacity improved significantly, especially for head and trunk control, contributing to major advances in respiratory health, novel engagement with her environment, and improved physical abilities. DISCUSSION: From injury during infancy until 3 years old, this child's health, abilities, and complications were consistent with the predicted path of early-onset SCI. Due to her age at injury, severity and chronicity of injury, she demonstrated unexpected, meaningful changes in her neuromuscular capacity during and post-ABT associated with improved health, function and quality of life for herself and her caregivers.
