Physical Therapy for Spina Bifida

Spina bifida is a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly. It’s a type of neural tube defect. The neural tube is the structure in a developing embryo that eventually becomes the baby’s brain, spinal cord and the tissues that enclose them.

Pain associated with spine and spinal cord problems can affect any area of the body but often involve the back, neck, hands or legs.

Doctors aren’t certain what causes spina bifida. It’s thought to result from a combination of genetic, nutritional and environmental risk factors, such as a family history of neural tube defects and folate (vitamin B-9) deficiency.

• These are the most common Spina Bifida symptoms

• Bladder and bowel problems (incontinence)

• Sexual dysfunction.

• Weakness and loss of sensation below the defect.

• Inability to move the lower legs (paralysis) and other cognitive impairments.

• Orthopaedic malformations such as clubfoot or problems of the knees or hips.

An infant born with spina bifida will have a team of health care providers to address their needs from birth. Physical therapists play an important role on these teams and in the lives of people with spina bifida.

Performing physical activities from birth helps children with spina bifida reach developmental milestones and improve how they move. Physical treatment also helps to prevent or reduce long-term problems and complications (things that worsen symptoms) of spina bifida.

Choosing the right rehabilitation device to treat the affected hand is the only problematic point when it comes to treatment.

In this concern, the SIFREHAB-1.1 and SIFREHAB-1.0 hand rehabilitation devices have been often appreciated and recommended as two of the finest model options available for generating considerable progress in Spina Bifida baby patients in a short period of time.

To begin with, these hand rehabilitation devices mobilize the affected hand/arm in both flexion and extension. Because the software on these devices allow for a wide variety of therapeutic modifications, even patients with no active residual movement like Spina Bifida baby patients can benefit from passive mobilization from the start of treatment.

Secondly, this home rehabilitation device may provide resistance in the opposite direction, assisting with movement stabilization and hand muscle tone workouts. It is of importance also to note that these robot gloves are available with a child mode that should suit babies’ small hands.

The most exquisite option about these robot gloves is that they promote low-cost, easily adaptable home therapy, which is highly crucial for babies, who might be very sensitive towards hospitals’ long stays.

SIFREHAB-1.0 and SIFREHAB-1.1, in other words, will assist them with a low-cost, safe, intensive, and task-oriented rehabilitation through home-guided therapy, which can improve treatment efficacy by including the recovery of daily-living-activity functions as well as a home environment change.

In short, Spina bifida might cause physical and intellectual disabilities that range from mild to severe. For that reason, an extensive treatment plan should take place to try to heal the baby’s affected organs, mostly the hands. In this regard, the SIFREHAB-1.0 and SIFREHAB-1.1 Rehabilitation Robot Gloves, have been for long providing excellent rehabilitation services that proved to be effective enough with several similar cases so they can be safely used by these babies’ parents and physical therapists alike.

Reference: Spina bifida