Treatment for a 14-year-old girl with Lyme disease using therapeutic exercise and gait training

Lyme disease is well documented in the literature; however, specific physical therapy interventions for the pediatric population with residual effects of Lyme disease have not been addressed. The purposes of this retrospective case report are: (1) to present an example of a therapeutic intervention for a pediatric patient in the late stages of Lyme disease with related musculoskeletal dysfunction and severely impaired quality of life, (2) to report the patient's functional outcomes from treatment, and (3) to discuss implications for treatment of patients with musculoskeletal dysfunction in the late stages of Lyme disease.

The patient was a 14-year old girl who had contracted Lyme disease 1 year prior to initiation of physical therapy. She was unable to participate with her peers in school, church, and sporting events due to significant impairments in strength (force-generating capacity), endurance, and gait; fatigue; pain; and total body tremor. Therapeutic exercise and gait training were used for treatment. The patient actively participated in managing her care by providing feedback during interventions and setting goals.

After 18 weeks of treatment, the patient achieved 96.7% of her predicted distance on the Six-Minute Walk Test with normal gait mechanics and returned to playing high school sports. She had a manual muscle test grade of 4/5 or greater in major extremity muscle groups. She returned to school and church participation with minimal total body tremor when fatigued and daily pain rated 0 to 3/10.

Therapeutic exercise and gait training may facilitate return to function in an adolescent patient with late effects of Lyme disease. Further investigation is advised to establish treatment effects in a broader population.