Seating orthotics for young cerebral palsy patients: a report on practice in Saudi Arabia

During the past 24 months, 177 cerebral palsied Saudi patients were provided with specialized seating systems. The majority (73%) were children, ranging from 1 to 9 years of age, and 22% were aged from 10 to 18 years. Only six were adults more than 18 years of age; 67% of the patients were male and 33% female. The majority had spastic quadriplegia (57%), and diplegia (20%). Various seating systems were prescribed including the Bead Seat, the Snug Seat, the Pin-Dot modular system, and the Canadian Posture Seating Centre (CPSC) modular and Foam-in-Place seating systems. For 34% of the cases the Bead Seat was prescribed, because it was found to have several advantages over its competitors, particularly with respect to in-house fitting and manufacturing. The Snug Seat (31%) was found to be unsatisfactory for children who had poor head control. The Pin-Dot modular system was found to be suitable mostly for domestic and institutional use. Certain problems were also identified with other systems. It has been found that adaptive seating services are in great demand in Saudi Arabia, and are essential as a complement to other rehabilitative efforts undertaken within the local cultural framework and environment.