Head balance in cerebral palsy (Meyer 2010, french)

Analyse, par un inclinomètre, du contrôle de tête de l’enfant paralysé cérébral après une séance del’enfant paralysé cérébral après une séance de kinésithérapie spécifique en piscinekinésithérapie spécifique en piscine

Abstract

Objectives
The goal is to assess the effects of a treatment in the pool, according the Halliwick method, on head control of children with cerebral palsy.

Population
The research included 9 children with cerebral palsy between 5 and 12 years of age: 4 boys and 5 girls. All children had a spastic quadrplegia and had difficulties to control the head.

Method
We measured before the therapy, directly afterwards when leaving the pool and one hour after the treatment. Measurements were: extension, flexion, active inclinations of the head as well as head control, using an inclinometer.

Results
Comparing the measurements before treatment and one hour afterwards, we found a significant increase of active extension (50,1° ± 8,1 versus 56,40 ± 5,2; p < 0.01). We did not find significant changes in all other active movements and in head control.

Conclusions
We found neither an increase in head control nor increase of the range of active head movements, except for the extension after a single treatment in the pool according to the Halliwick method. However, it remains interesting for future research to evaluate the effects derived from several treatments in the pool.