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The acute effects of physiotherapy on general movement patterns in preterm infants: A single-blind study

Büşra Kepenek-Varol1, Müberra Tanrıverdi2, Akın İşcan3

  • 1Nuh Naci Yazgan University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department, Kayseri, Turkey.

Early Human Development
|February 25, 2019
PubMed

Insights

A single physiotherapy session did not acutely impact spontaneous movements in preterm infants. Further research is needed to understand the short and long-term effects of early physiotherapy on infant motor development.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal development
  • Physiotherapy
  • Movement assessment

Background:

  • The General Movement Assessment (GMA) analyzes infant spontaneous movements.
  • While GMA is used in preterm infants, research on early intervention effects is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess acute effects of a single early physiotherapy session on preterm infants' general spontaneous movements.
  • To evaluate changes in the Motor Optimality Scale (MOS) score post-intervention.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective, single-blind study involving 32 preterm infants (12-16 weeks postterm).
  • General Movement Assessment (GMA) video analysis before and after a single physiotherapy session.
  • Motor Optimality Scale (MOS) scoring by a blinded evaluator.

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant difference in MOS sub-category or total scores before and after the physiotherapy session (p > 0.05).
  • A single early physiotherapy intervention did not acutely affect spontaneous movements in preterm infants at 12-16 weeks postterm.

Conclusions:

  • A single physiotherapy session does not yield immediate improvements in spontaneous movements for preterm infants.
  • Further studies are required to determine the short- and long-term benefits of early physiotherapy for high-risk infants.
Abstract

Keywords:
Early interventionGeneral Movement AssessmentPreterm infant

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