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Behavior During Tethered Kicking in Infants With Periventricular Brain Injury
Suzann K Campbell1, Whitney Cole, Kara Boynewicz
1Department of Physical Therapy (Drs Campbell, Bulanda, and Madhavan), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Center for Clinical and Translational Science (Dr Campbell), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Department of Psychology (Dr Cole), New York University, New York, New York; Department of Physical Therapy (Dr Boynewicz), East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee; Pediatric Physical Therapist (Ms Zawacki), Oak Park, Illinois; Physical Therapy Department (Dr Clark), University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, Chicago, Illinois; Departments of Pediatrics (Drs Gaebler-Spira and deRegnier), Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Drs Gaebler-Spira and Kuroda), Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois; Rehabilitation Services (Dr Kale), Consonus Healthcare, Milwaukie, Oregon.
Insights
A tethered-kicking intervention may help infants with periventricular brain injury (PBI) move more. Further research is needed to confirm long-term developmental benefits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Physical Therapy
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Periventricular brain injury (PBI) is a common cause of motor disability in preterm infants.
- Early motor interventions are crucial for optimizing outcomes in infants with PBI.
- Understanding movement patterns in infants with PBI is essential for developing effective therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the behavioral responses of infants with periventricular brain injury (PBI) during a tethered-kicking intervention.
- To assess the impact of a tethered-kicking intervention on leg movement frequency and interlimb coordination in infants with PBI.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal pilot study involving sixteen infants with PBI, randomly assigned to an exercise or control group.
- Video analysis was used to quantify leg movement frequencies and interlimb coordination at 2 and 4 months corrected age (CA).
- Movement data were correlated with scores from the Test of Infant Motor Performance.
Main Results:
- 62% of infants with PBI showed increased leg movement frequency between 2 and 4 months CA when using the tethered-kicking intervention.
- No significant differences in movement frequency were found between the exercise and control groups.
- Infants with typical development and one infant with cerebral palsy demonstrated increased synchronous leg movements.
Conclusions:
- The tethered-kicking intervention appears to facilitate increased movement in infants with PBI.
- The intervention's long-term effects on overall infant development require further investigation.
- This pilot study provides preliminary evidence for the potential of movement-based interventions in PBI.
Purpose:
To describe behavior of children with periventricular brain injury (PBI) in a tethered-kicking intervention.
Methods:
Sixteen infants with PBI were randomly assigned to exercise or no-training in a longitudinal pilot study. Frequencies of leg movements and interlimb coordination were described from videos at 2 and 4 months' corrected age (CA).
Results:
Eight of the 13 children (62%) with longitudinal data increased the frequency of leg movements while tethered to a mobile between 2 and 4 months' CA. Movement frequency was correlated with scores on the Test of Infant Motor Performance, but no differences between experimental groups were found. Children with typical development at 12 months' CA increased the proportion of leg movements that were synchronous between 2 and 4 months, as did a child with cerebral palsy in the experimental group.
Conclusions:
The tethered-kicking intervention facilitates movement in infants with PBI, but effects on development remain to be demonstrated.
