The effect of kinesio taping and physiotherapy on the rehabilitation of children of different ages with obstetric palsy

Abstract

Obstetric palsy (OP) is caused by excessive pulling of the brachial plexus during childbirth. Upper root injury (Erb’s), paralysis of the middle area of the plexus and complete plexus injury (Klumpke’s paralysis) may be a result of the condition. The application of physiotherapy from the early stages of palsy helps in the rehabilitation of the patient. The aim of this review is to describe research data on the applications of Kinesiotaping (KT) and other means of physical therapy in children with OP, depending on their age. The Google Scholar, PubMed and PEDro databases were searched with the following keywords: obstetric palsy, physiotherapy, Erb’s palsy, rehabilitation. The review included nine articles. The results of this review show that the application of physiotherapy means contributes to the recovery of OP. In the first stage of rehabilitation, in infants diagnosed in the first months after birth, physiotherapy may include hydrotherapy, subcutaneous tissue massage, manual massage, limb muscle stretching and KT applied for 2-3 days, then removed for 1-2 days and applied again. In children diagnosed after the first year, Vojta and Bobath techniques, electrotherapy with the application of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and application of exercises and activities that have the form of play are also suitable. In older children, treatment may include the Vojta technique and the MIRA software platform, where clinical exercises are converted into video games. What seems to determine the results is the early intervention and the cooperation of the rehabilitation team with the parents.