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Does physical therapy improve outcome in infants with joint hypermobility and benign hypotonia?
Rina Mintz-Itkin1, Tally Lerman-Sagie, Luba Zuk
1Child Development Center, Maccabi Health Services, Rishon Le-Zion, Israel.
Insights
Weekly physical therapy showed a minor benefit for infants with joint hypermobility and benign hypotonia, specifically in achieving independent walking. Monthly therapy with home exercises may be sufficient for motor development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Physical Therapy
Background:
- Infants with delayed motor development often present with joint hypermobility and benign hypotonia.
- The optimal frequency of physical therapy for this population is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of physical therapy frequency on motor development outcomes in infants with joint hypermobility and benign hypotonia.
- To compare monthly versus weekly physical therapy protocols.
Main Methods:
- A randomized study involving 29 infants (8-12 months) with delayed motor development.
- Infants were assigned to either a monthly or weekly physical therapy treatment group.
- Motor development was assessed at multiple points, with a specific focus on walking ability at 15 months.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were observed between the monthly and weekly groups on most developmental tests.
- Infants receiving weekly physical therapy demonstrated a slight advantage in achieving independent walking by 15 months of age.
- The study indicated a minor benefit of weekly protocols solely for independent walking achievement.
Conclusions:
- Weekly physical therapy may offer a marginal benefit for independent walking in infants with joint hypermobility and benign hypotonia.
- Monthly physical therapy, when supplemented with a home-based program by caregivers, appears sufficient for achieving overall motor catch-up.
- Further research may be needed to fully elucidate the long-term benefits of different physical therapy frequencies.
Abstract:
This study examined the effect of the frequency of physical therapy on the outcome of infants referred for delayed motor development due to joint hypermobility and benign hypotonia. The study groups comprised 29 infants (8-12 months) who were randomly placed into a monthly and weekly treatment groups. No difference was found between the 2 study group scores on the different tests at all assessment points. However, assessment of walking at the age of 15 months revealed a clear advantage of the infants who were treated weekly. Our study demonstrated a minor benefit of weekly treatment protocol only in the achievement of independent walking in children with joint hypermobility and benign hypotonia. It did not prove an advantage of weekly physical therapy. It seems that monthly physical therapy combined with a home treatment protocol implemented by the primary caregivers is sufficient to achieve motor catch-up.
